Life in the shadows
by The Legendary Mew
Summary: - No summary -
1. Chapter 1

**You shouldn't look too much forward updates; there could be some and there couldn't be some! It's complicated, but as long as you don't expect anything, you can be surprised.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or elements of Assassins Creed**

**I remind you of my bad English knowledge! Maybe I need someone who could revise the chapters. Note this is an M-story, because of violence and bad language! **

**R&R!**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

"I expected that …" A young man around his early twenties sat on a timber that connected two house walls with each other.

"He really thinks we are so stupid." He led out a small chuckle.

"I never thought that this will be so easy." The deep voice reached the ears of a rodent with yellow fur that was positioned on the right shoulder of its cause.

"Are you ready to hunt our prey?" This time his voice was directed to his passenger. The small shadow on his left shoulder nodded and had a diabolic smile on his face.

The sunlight couldn't reach the place between the houses when the hooded figure rose from his squatting position and stood now on this timber with his full size.

He checked his hidden blade that was placed on his inner left forearm, one last time before a carriage, which was pulled by four Rapidashs, rushed through the small alley beneath the two unknown figures.

"Let's end this!" he almost whispered with an annoyed tone. After that, he jumped against the left house wall. He pushed himself away with all of his strength, using the momentum to turn around to reach the edge of the right house roof.

The hooded man then pulled himself up to reach the top of the building. Up there a great flash of sunlight greeted him. Both hunters shielded there eyes until their eyes were adapted to the light.

After that, he started to sprint across the roof and every time he reached the end of it, he jumped over the 10 feet distance between two houses. It wasn't exhausting for him; he trained his whole life for chases like this.

The carriage had a hard time to avoid all of the people that were on these streets, a lot of them carried boxes with them and the women balanced vases on their heads. All of that slowed the wagon down to a minimum speed that couldn't be compared to the one that his follower used.

The coachman was an old man whose eyes weren't the best anymore. The horses often stooped in front of a large crowd that disappeared very slowly.

This allowed the stranger to reach the perfect spot for his deadly intention, a small ledge that was located directly above the persistent coach. The crowd was pleaded by the coachman to leave the street so he could pass the road. Most of them however weren't pleased with this idea.

"This isn't his lucky day." The smirk on his face couldn't be bigger, although you couldn't see much of his face. His hood reached deep down to his nose, letting his eyes be in the shadow.

The little companion on his shoulder was almost a feet huge, had a lightning-shaped tale, two long ears with black ends, yellow fur and two red cheeks. Nevertheless, he looked as dangerous as the young man did.

"This chase was a joke; this stupid ass can't even organize an exciting escape." Again, it was unknown whether the man spoke with himself or with his rodent.

He approached the end of the ledge; he only needed to execute the last part of his mission. The only thing he had to decide now was the fact how much men had to die!

* * *

….Inside the coach ….

* * *

"Why do we stop?" an almost whining voice shouted. A middle-aged man inside the coach shivered because of this sudden stop.

"I don't know, but remember its midday already. All streets are crowded." A deep voice tried to calm his supervisor down. He wore a typical outfit for people in the 15th century, a large garment that shielded his body from the heat of the hot country. Like every man, he had a beard, but short hair.

"Are you sure that he won't find us?" his voice changed into a fearful one. Every second he looked towards the carriage door, it was visible that he feared for his life.

"We announced that we would leave across the main street, so I think that he will wait there for you." the subordinate filled his voice with confidence to cheer his employer up.

"Yes, Yes! Do you forget that he already killed two of my brothers? The only reason that I'm in that situation is the fact that I'm the 'oldest male' in this family!" he cursed the assassins under his breath.

"Calm down! There's no way that he will find us here in that remote part of this town." He stated with proud, it was his idea to take this way instead of the main road.

"Okay …. I calm down …." he sighed, there was still the chance that his life would end today.

"And don't forget!" his assistant stated, "After you are in Pewter city you'll transfer all of your powers to me, governor." the disguised man demanded everything from him.

"Okay. Okay. Fulfill your part of the agreement and I'll fulfill my part." the governor showed his contracting partner the paper that would transfer all of his powers to him. Without hesitation, he grabbed it from him to ensure himself from the authenticity.

A huge smile appeared on his face; however, it was interrupted by a crashing noise on the roof.

The disguised figure opened the left door of the carriage, only to see how an old man was hit in the head by something metallic. The force hurled him from the carriage into a market stall that was placed against a house wall.

The crowd was panicked, everyone tried to escape. In times like this, nobody wanted to be involved in some kind of crime.

The bearded man looked up to see what was going on. On top of the carriage was a small Pokémon, some sort of mouse whose tail shone.

Without hesitation, he moved back into the carriage. The eyes of the governor were filled with horror "What happened?" he screamed in fear.

Before the man with the garment could reply or even close the door, he was kicked out of the carriage by someone who swung into the cabin from the right window. The 'watchdog' flew out of the coach, crashing into a set of barrels.

The governor was frozen when he saw the man in front of him; he wore some kind of white frock. The hood covered almost his whole face, except his mouth. Over his right shoulder hung some sort of black and red cape. Despite his shock, the middle-aged man could see that the killer in front of him owed many throwing knives. All of them were positioned on his belt or on straps that ran across his upper body.

The wind blew the curtain from one of the windows away, allowing the old man to get a better look at his foe. He literally pissed his pants when he saw how the assassin extended his hidden blade that was previously covered by the cape.

"Please, spare me!" he begged with all his might, there was nothing in his voice that you could connect with proud or honor.

"Your tyranny ends now." the assassin approached his victim, aware that this would be easy.

"My tyranny? Your brood kills randomly people without any proves!" he defended himself. The last thing he tried was to appeal on his foes humanity.

"Is that so?" he asked sarcastically "If I remember correctly it's your brood who hold thousands of Pokémon and humans in slavery." he was only a few feed away from this so-called 'governor'.

"Please, I promise to ….." before he could finish his sentence he already felt the sharp blade running through his neck. He tried to stop the blood with his hands, in vain.

The world around him became darker and darker, everything extinguished. His eyes lost the shine, his whole body became lifeless.

The hooded figure pull his blade out of the wound, it was completely covered in blood. The red liquid dripped down from the metallic weapon onto an expensive carpet. .

After some seconds, the assassin used his hands to close the eyes of his latest victim. "Requiescat in pace!" were his last words before he opened the carriage door and climbed up to the roof.

His trusty rodent already awaited him. It needed only a nod from the hooded figure to signal his Pokémon what to do next.

The yellow mouse jumped off the wagon towards the Rapidashs before using his tail as a sort of whip to infuriate them to the extreme. The horses freaked out and ran away, pulling the carriage with them.

Again, it wasn't a big problem for the hooded man to keep his balance. However, all other people had a hard time to avoid the carriage this time.

After a short time, the assassin decided to leave the 'sinking ship' and jumped off the vehicle. He grabbed a small ledge of a near house and started to climb to the roof. For normal people it would be a juggling act but for him, it was only a routine.

On the roof, an old friend greeted him this time instead of the sun. It wasn't a human, although it had human features. He was two heads smaller than the assassin was, but wasn't a child though. The blue and black creature had paws instead of hands with a thorn on the back of them. He could be confused with a dog, but dogs didn't walk on two legs.

"Hello, master! I see that your mission was a success?" the smaller one asked, although he already knew the answer.

"Ah Lucario, this whole mission was boring. This asshole thought he could outsmart us, all he has done was so predictable." he sighed and shook his head in disappointment.

"I'm sorry master. " Lucario bowed.

"Not your fault! I don't get it why master oak wanted me to eliminate him so badly. He could also commission one of the novice assassins to do that. " he asked randomly.

"Don't question his decisions! He is your master after all." Lucario explained to his own 'master'.

The assassin shrugged and turned around to see what happened on the streets. The carriage, out of control, crashed into a small market. One of the doors opened and the body of the governor dropped out onto the street. Women screamed, men were disgusted at the sight of the bloody body.

Two city guards approached the scene of the crime, they looked at the dead body and whispered something. After that, they stood up and looked around, seemingly looking for the culprit.

The killer smacked his forehead when he saw the inexperienced guardians. They didn't even try to look up to the roofs.

"What do you think Lucario? These blockheads should do something for their money." the disguised assassin turned his head towards his 'servant'.

"As you like, master." Again, Lucario bowed towards his master to show his approval.

Everything happened so quick after that. The headhunter took a throwing knife and threw it with deadly precision towards the two guardians. It hit one of the men right in the head, effectively killing him without much pain.

In a state of shock, the second guardian looked up to the spot where the throwing knife came from. He saw three creatures, one man and two Pokémon. Instantly he called all of his fellow guardians. The chase could start.

They were six of them and the stranger could only smirk how the guardians tried to climb up to the roof. Thanks to Lucario, the hooded man was able to sense aura, this ability was often used among assassins. Only a few mastered it though. Commonly this is also called the 'Eagle eye'- ability.

Slowly he approached a ladder that was leaned onto the house wall. He kneeled next to it and waited, waiting for the perfect opportunity. After some seconds, he saw the face of a guardian that climbed up the ladder.

"You're under arrest!" yelled the middle-aged guardian, seemingly not notifying that this was THE assassin.

"I don't think so!" the assassin said with a casual, almost boring voice. He then grabbed the end of the ladder and pushed them slightly away, then pulled it back again. He really had a great time, making fun of those men in leggings.

"What …. are - are - are … you doing?" Stuttered the surprised guardian while holding onto the ladder with all of his might.

"See how fast a fat guy like you can fall, I guess." was the simple answer of the hooded man before he pushed the ladder far away. He heard a crashing noise and looked down, smirking. That fat person fell into another booth, saving his life in the process.

"Three market stands in one day. Very impressive master." Lucario looked down to the scenario.

"It's quiet okay, I guess." His master looked very bored. The other guardians were so unathletic that they couldn't find another way up to the roof after the ladder crashed down.

"I think that's all for today!" the disappointment in his voice was clearly to hear. He looked down one last time to see one of the guardians slipped on an apple. He chuckled but it vanished instantly. He motioned to his Pokémon to follow him.

All three of them then disappeared in the shadows of the streets.

* * *

After the trio disappeared, an old man crawled out of splintered barrels. He looked over to the destroyed carriage and noticed the dead body of his 'former' superior. All of the guardians run around like anxious chicken. The bearded man sighed, realizing that he couldn't fulfill his part of the agreement. The paper in his right hand, however, was unharmed. The paper that would transfer the powers of the governor to him.

He smirked, knowing that he got his reward. He stood up and left the place, leaving all other people in the dark about his genius plan.

* * *

… A few miles before Masyaf, headquarter of the assassins …

* * *

"I think we should set up a camp right here." suggested the leader of the trio. The commonly mode of transport were Rapidashs at this time, but one of them was enough for two Pokémon and one human.

"Like you wish, master." Lucario always gave his approval. The yellow rodent, who wasn't able to speak with human words, nodded.

"Master oak gave us 5 days for this mission and we needed only 3 of them." he chuckled, he was full of himself. He tied his horse to a tree, preventing it from escape.

"Shouldn't you be happy?" Lucario asked curiously.

"No! I think that master oak doesn't appreciate my talents." the assassin almost shouted with an angry voice, startling many Pidgeys in the process. The sun had already set and the darkness enveloped everyone.

"Pikapi chu Pika kachu?" Although he couldn't use human words, the yellow rodent could be understood by his two companions. The assassin could understand him because of his long time friendship and Lucario, of course because he was a Pokémon too.

"Do you think there aren't better missions at the moment?" he asked with great suspiciousness. He picked up several pieces of wood and piled them up onto a campfire.

The yellow mouse nodded and smiled, however it wasn't met with love from his 'trainer'.

"Master Ash, I think this mouse is right!" That was the first time that Lucario used his masters name.

"Don't call me that!" he demanded and gave Lucario a death glare "Don't dare using that name again!"

The blue and black Pokémon was shocked by his own actions. He upset his master and ignored a direct order from him. The aura Pokémon felt onto his knees and begged for mercy, feeling ashamed of his stupidity.

"Forget it!" Ash turned on his Pokémon and walked into the woods. Pikachu tried to follow him but was hold back by Lucario. The yellow rodent looked at him, receiving a 'no' from Lucario.

Ash walked slowly up to a tree. He leaned with his back against the tree, sinking down into a sitting position, resting his head onto his knees. The dark assassin who kills without hesitation seemed to be lost in his thoughts.

No one of these three exchanged words during the rest of the night. Ash returned to the camp two hours before the sunrise, looking rather depressed. Pikachu was still asleep, Lucario however sat on a stone and looked towards his silent master.

You could cut the air with a knife, although everything seemed to be normal. In a few hours, all of them would be return to their 'home'. At least it was the best place they could consider as their 'home'.

Three hours later, they left their camping spot and rode towards their destination. All of that happened without a single conversation between them. Pikachu rolled himself into a ball on the back of the horse and Lucario felt guilty for everything he said. He didn't know exactly why he wasn't allowed to call his master by his name, but he assumed that it was connected with the dark past of his mentor.

Behind a glade, they could see the 'home' of the assassins, Masyaf. After taking a deep breath, Ash alongside his companions began the last part of their journey. With every second Masyaf came closer and closer.

…

* * *

… Afternoon in Petalburg town, Maple residence …

* * *

"MAY! You stupid kid! Come down here!" a man with a harsh voice almost yelled to a kid that sat upstairs in her room.

The scared May made her way down to the man, fearing his wrath. She was a beautiful seventeen-year old girl with brown hair. Her clothes, however didn't reflect her internal beauty.

She went towards a tall man with short, brown hair. Near him was a girl around her age, she had pink/purple hair and wore very expensive clothes.

"Jessie told me that you destroyed the expensive vase in the living room." Giovanni gave this girl a death glare and already accused her of this 'crime'.

"No sir. I spent the whole day in my room." she answered with a low voice. May was scared by the man in front of her, feeling the hate and grudge that he had against her.

"Do you accuse my daughter to be a liar?" he said with a threatening voice. Giovanni loved his daughter Jessie more than everything, besides his money of course.

"No - no …. sir" May already knew that she was the victim of his bad mood. She looked towards the ground and hold back her tears, missing her 'real' parents.

"Who should then have destroyed my vase in your opinion?" that was a rhetorical question for the 'man in the house'. Jessie stood slightly behind her dad, smirking big time towards her 'stepsister'.

"I don't know sir .." the brunette replied, but right after that, she was slapped hard in the face by the tall man in front of her. She fell to the ground, crying.

Giovanni didn't feel any pity for this girl and caressed his 'real' daughter instead.

"Go to your room! Don't dare to show yourself again today! No dinner for you!" he shouted at his 'stepdaughter' and pushed her towards the stairs in an uncomfortable way. That the kid was still crying didn't bother him at all.

May then went back to her room upstairs on all fours, still sobbing. She entered her room and closed the door slowly, every other girl would smash the door but that would only make Giovanni more furious.

She fell onto her bed, which consisted of simple mattress and several blankets.

May then reached to her night table, opening the drawer. She took some kind of picture and hold it tightly to her chest. On the picture was a young May alongside two adults, seemingly her parents. The woman was pretty with brown long , brown hair that went down her back in an unruly way. The man was a tall, blue-haired one.

May wasn't able to hold back her tears. She buried her head into one of her pillows and sobbed, hoping that her 'stepfather' wouldn't hear it. She then drifted into a dream world, memories surfaced.

_/Flashback/_

_A young seven-year-old May ran into the kitchen to her mother who was sobbing. She hold a letter and stared with pure disbelief onto it. Caroline didn't even notice that her daughter ran up to her. _

"_What's wrong mommy?" asked May in an unsure way. _

_Caroline was shocked that May was already there. How should she tell her something that even she couldn't cope with? She wiped her tears away and hugged her daughter._

"_Mommy?" The little May was scared by her mother's behavior. _

"_Oh May .." Caroline couldn't stop her tears from coming out, but you can't demand that from someone in that situation. _

_May hugged her mother back, trying to comfort her. She felt that her mother shivered, something terrible had happened. _

"_Why are you crying mom?" May couldn't stand this silence anymore. She wanted answers, although she would regret this decision later. _

"_Norman …. Your dad ….. He won't come back …" she stuttered between her tears. _

"_What do you mean Mommy? Dad always comes back. He loves us." the little brunette was completely confused, knowing that her father would never leave them alone. _

"_He is gone May." Her mother hugged her daughter more and more. _

_May, not completely understanding these words, didn't know what to think. _

"_Where is he? Where did he go?" she asked her mother in a typical childish naïve manner. _

"_He's dead May. He won't come back, because he can't." More tears bean to roll down her cheeks. To tell her own child that her father was dead was something that you couldn't express in words. _

"_Dead? But mommy you always told me that dad was one of the good and the good ones never die." May repeated what her mother told her earlier when she was a small child._

"_May … your father was sergeant in the royal army. He defended our kingdom from other countries, but there was always the possibility that he could …. die." When she said the last word, her tears again broke out and dropped down onto her daughters back. _

_Even in Mays eyes, you could see tears building up. She couldn't realize the whole 'forever gone' - thing yet, but something in her couldn't hold down her sadness. _

_Both mother and daughter hold each other for several minutes, comforting each other in this time of despair. _

_May's mother, however realized that she have to be strong, strong for her daughter. _

_She squeezed her daughter one last time before she stood up and forced herself to a smile. The next few days would be the most difficult of their lives. _

"_Tell me May, are you hungry?" Caroline tried to cheer her daughter up, knowing that May loves to eat. She wiped her tears away and looked down to her daughter. Although she lost her husband, she still had her wonderful daughter and she would be there for her. _

_May nodded and followed her mother to the pantry. She couldn't deny that she was hungry. And at this moment, it was sealed that they would be there for each other. _

_/End Flashback/ _

May woke up in the middle of the night, holding one of her last remaining memorable pieces to her chest. It was a little stuffed toy that her mother gave her to her fourteenth birthday.

The little Pikachu doll meant everything to her. May kept it like a treasure. She was aware that Giovanni wouldn't allow her to owe something like that, because he hated that smile on May's face.

Although she would turning eighteen soon, she couldn't leave this place. The only way for women to leave their parents house was to marry someone.

May always dreamed of the 'true love' and her 'prince' that would rescue her from this nightmare. However, Giovanni held her stepdaughter 'hostage' and didn't allow her to meet boys or young men. He sent May to a public girl's school, so she couldn't get into contact with boys.

The most important thing for Giovanni was her daughter Jessie and her happiness. He sent her to every famous dance event, in hope that she would be engaged to some rich noble person.

Jessie got everything she wanted and May got nothing. The only thing that gave her the strength to live on were her friends at school. To her luck, Jessie was sent to a private school to meet people that are more important.

Tomorrow was Monday and she could finally meet her 'friends' again and forget for a short time her miserable situation. With that in mind, she could sleep again with that smile that Giovanni hated so much.

* * *

… Entrance of Masyaf …

* * *

"Master? …" Lucario tried to start a conversation with his silent mentor. He was depressed that the whole atmosphere was down to a new low.

He didn't receive a response from Ash.

They were only a few minutes away from the town Masyaf. They could already see the large castle that was located on top of a mountain and the small village that was at the foot of the mountain. This whole hiding place wasn't on any map and so a perfect retreat for the notorious assassins.

Although he was only twenty years old, Ash was already a 'master assassin' and he demanded that everyone would call him master instead of Ash. The only one who needn't to call him master was Ash's master himself. Master oak was the head of all assassins in Masyaf and he decided which assassin would do which mission.

They passed a large wooden gate that lead to the small village. Most of the peasantry were refugees that searched for asylum. They and the assassins were a purpose community. The brotherhood would defend the peasantries and in return, they gave them half of their grown.

"Welcome back master." a small kid greeted the returning assassin and his fellow companions.

Like Lucario, he didn't receive a response. The little kid was then dragged back to his house by his mother. Everything looked so peaceful around here, cheering the assassin up in the process.

He jumped of his Rapidash and unsaddled it. It was then lead to a stable by some novice assassin. Although it wasn't important which weekday it was you could guess that it have to be Sunday.

He breathed the fresh air and felt more relieved. This town was his home. He could forget everything from his past while being here and he considered his fellow assassins as his family.

"Let's go to master oak." said Ash and walked up the hill. It was a hard climb up to the castle, but this fact was also their biggest advantage against enemies.

"Nice to hear your voice again, master." Lucario responded and smiled. He always could count on this place to cheer his master up after he felt down.

Ash smirked towards his two Pokémon and walked towards the entrance gate of the castle. At the gate, he met one of his old friends.

"How do you do, Gary?" he asked with a casual voice, knowing that he have to behave like a master.

"Everything is fine. A little boring these days but better than a siege." he chuckled. Although Gary had two more years of experience than Ash, he couldn't be a master assassin. The reason was that Gary was afraid of heights, effectively rendering him unusable for any mission outside of Masyaf.

Again, Ash used his signature smile to show his happiness. Gary was one of his closest friends and deep in his inner, Ash was happy that Gary wasn't one of the assassins that have to risk their lives out there.

He passed the gate and walked upstairs towards the assembly hall, feeling proud of his skills. Every guardian bowed in front of him to show their respect. Most of them were older than him, but nobody could reach his level.

He crossed the hall and walked upstairs to the study room of his 'master'. When he approached them, he already saw the old man with his grey hair. He didn't now how old master oak was, nobody asked him that.

"Master Oak, I'm back. I've done as you've told me." he stood in front of the table and Lucario to his side. The yellow rodent sat on Ash's shoulder.

"Good my student." Master oak called everyone student because everyone learned from him.

Oak's smile however quickly turned into a frown.

"What's up master?" asked Ash. Everyone who had to die died.

"I heard that you killed one guardian without a reason. You made fun of them." his tone changed. The master was visibly upset about his protégés behavior.

"But master, they weren't a real danger and I already fulfilled my mission." Ash defended himself. Lucario seemed to understand master oak better than Ash, because he nodded.

"That's no excuse!" Oak shouted "Don't forget our creed!" The creed consisted mainly of three simple principles.

"I'm sorry master. This mission was so boring and I wanted some fun." he apologized but the second part of the statement wasn't a smart one.

"Boring? Never underestimate our opponents! You've become really arrogant over the last year, Ash." Master oak was really pissed off when he used his protégés name.

Ash gritted with his teeth, but didn't say anything. He was the student and he did something wrong. Now he had to live with the consequences.

Somehow, the smile on master oaks face returned. He almost smirked and then turned to Ash who was really puzzled at the sudden change of events.

"So …" Oak started "You are bored? You have enough from these little missions?"

Ash didn't know how to react or what master Oak wanted to tell him. He simply nodded, hoping the best for him.

"You want it? You got it!" he laughed, master Oak really laughed.

Lucario was as dumbfounded as his 'master' who couldn't say a word. Both decided to laugh alongside their boss. Like always, Pikachu was confused and looked from Ash to Lucario to Oak.

Suddenly the master stopped and looked at his student with a serious look.

"I hope that the next mission is more suitable to your taste." he said with a stern voice. The sudden change in his mood was something that nobody could predict, not even an aura Pokémon like Lucario.

"What is your desire master?" Ash returned to his student role and tried to take full advantage of the situation.

"You'll be heading to Petalburg town!" Oak said with a casual voice. Ash frowned, he had heard that city name somewhere but he couldn't remember when.

"For your information. Petalburg is the home of the royal family." he explained towards the silent assassin, who was shocked by this sudden twist of fate.

"But master … There are more guardians than anywhere else." Ash was confused. No assassin so far could fulfill a mission in Petalburg. Everyone was killed or captured by the royal guards.

"Are you afraid?" Oak began to tease his best student.

"No, master." Ash was hurt in his honor after hearing this.

"You'll start your mission tomorrow! You'll infiltrate the city and assassinate certain people." Oak started his explanations but was soon interrupted by Ash.

"Do you want me to kill king Cyrus?" he suggested. The king was a bad one and everybody hoped that he would abdicate his position but that would never happen.

"That would be a suicide mission, even for you." Master oak could estimate the skills of his pupils. He knew that Ash was the best but without experience in such a big city, Ash was doomed to fail.

Ash said nothing. His master didn't believe in him like he wanted him to do.

"Your first target is a man called 'Butch'. He is the leader of a merchant guild, but we already figured out that he also trade humans and Pokémon." Oak always knew more than anybody in Masyaf, but that was the reason that he was THE master.

"Okay master. He'll die." said Ash with a cold voice. He never questioned the decisions of his master, at least not the one concerning his victims.

"You won't kill him immediately!" Oak shouted at him, taking him by surprise. "We want you to get as much information about him as possible."

"Isn't that unnecessary? " asked Ash. Why do they need information about him, when he will die anyways.

"It's necessary! We think that Butch is part of a huge conspiracy." That caught Ash's attention. A conspiracy in the middle of the kingdom?

"Yes, there are also other people involved but you will kill them one for one." the head of the assassins ordered.

"Like you wish master." Ash had his next destination and it would be a tough one.

"After every single murder you'll sent a Pidgey with a message to me." The master turned towards the little cages. He always used Pidgeys as carrier pigeons.

"After I received your message I'll sent you the next name on the list." Ash wondered how many victims he would have to kill in order to stop this conspiracy. Lucario listened carefully. He didn't want to ask his 'master' for the information, because he tried to be the perfect servant for him.

"It's good that your face isn't well-known in Petalburg, so be careful and don't waste your disguise." Master oak never missed a chance to give some last minute advice to the younger assassins.

"I won't master." Ash was ready to leave but was stopped by his master again.

"And Ash! Do you remember that little Pidgey that you saved some time ago?" Oak looked into the eyes of his protégé. He always knew when somebody tried to lie to him.

"Of course master. How could I forget?" he answered. He looked down to the floor and was lost in his thoughts.

_/Flashback/ _

"_Come on Lucario! We have to hurry if we want to reach Masyaf before sunset." Ash shouted to the Pokémon who was visibly exhausted. _

"_Sorry master, but our last battle really demanded everything from me." Lucario said and it started to rain. _

"_It's your fault! If you didn't messed up that Aura sphere we would still have our Rapidash." The assassin yelled towards his aura Pokémon. _

"_I'm sorry master. I promise to become stronger … " With that Lucario fainted and fell down onto his belly. _

_The dark assassin didn't realized it until he missed the attempts of his Pokémon to apologize to him. He ran back to see the Aura Pokémon on the ground. _

_The rain changed into a downpour and the clouds became darker with the second. Ash never showed his soft side, but with Lucario unconscious and Pikachu back home, he could do the right thing. He took Lucario into a Fireman's carry position and carried him towards a small cave. _

"_Hold on Lucario." he whispered quietly. He reached the cave and put his trusty Pokémon onto a ground. He also took his cape and used it as a bedcover for his exhausted Pokémon._

_After that, he left the cave in search for some dry firewood, but with the downpour, it wasn't an easy task. He needed much more time than expected but he still find some dry wood. _

_He was ready to head back but something caught his attention. A quiet noise, nothing against the loud thunder. It was almost a twitter of a bird. _

_Ash decided to look for the cause of it and reached a clearing in the forest. Near a tree, he found a little bird, tweeting for his life. _

_The assassin found a bird's nest only a few feet away. It had to be blown down by the wind. Although his aura ability wasn't the best Ash couldn't sense any Pokémon in the vicinity. _

_That was the first time that Ash felt pity for someone else than his companions. He took that little bird and after a second look, he saw that it was a baby Pidgey. It had one broken wing after it fell down to the ground. _

_The little Pidgey was scared by the thunder and lightning and searched for a save spot between Ash's hands. Ash decided to take him back to the cave alongside the firewood. He was able to make a suitable campfire and after that, he built a little bracer for the wing of the Pidgey. _

_After some hours, Lucario woke up and saw his happy master. That was a rare sight for him and deep down he knew that his master loved him. _

_Ash soon realized that his traveling companion was awake and changed his mood again. _

"_You caused a lot of trouble Lucario." he said with a stern voice, but Lucario knew that he was acting. _

"_Sorry master." Lucario answered with a smile._

"_Do you think master Oak could take care of this injured Pidgey?" Ash changed the topic and pointed towards the little bird. It had already fall asleep and seemed so happy. _

"_I'm sure he will." responded Lucario and looked to the outside. It was already night but the rain had stopped. In the end, his master showed his true colors and his concern for the safety of his 'friends'. _

_/End of Flashback/_

Ash finally got back to reality and looked at Oak, rather concerned. What could had happen to this Pidgey. Could it be that it didn't survive after all?

"What is with him master oak?" Ash tried to hide his concern under his stern voice but Oak could see right through him.

"He finally grew up." he answered with proud, because this Pidgey was something special.

He pointed towards the window and Ash could hear the noise of wing-beats. He approached the window and looked to the outside. What he saw wasn't a Pidgey, but it was a Pidgeot. And it was a really big one, because Ash looked like a small mouse in comparison to him.

"Is that you Pidgey?" Ash asked unsure. He couldn't believe that this little Pidgey had evolved into such an amazing Pokémon.

Pidgeot nodded and landed on the ledge, surprising Lucario and Pikachu in the process. The large bird caused so much wind that even Pikachu had a hard to time to clench onto his masters shoulder.

Then the unthinkable happened, Ash hugged Pidgeot with all of his might. Even Pidgeot wasn't prepared for that one but welcomed the embrace.

"I'm so glad that you're okay." Ash almost sobbed, but instantly he realized that he wasn't alone. His reputation was in danger and so he finished the embraced and stepped back.

"I mean … oh …. It's good to see that you're alright." he said with his typical dark voice, although it was already too late to fool the others. Ash felt a little bit embarrassed by his own behavior and even blushed a little.

"So Ash. I already asked Pidgeot and he would be honored to help you on your mission." Master Oak broke the silence and crossed his arms, because he knew that the team of Ash, Pikachu, Lucario and Pidgeot would be unstoppable.

The assassin turned to his master and then back to Pidgeot with a surprised look.

"Do you really want to follow me?" he asked in pure disbelieve. His whole mission would be much easier with a bird like him and he always wished to fly. That was one last remaining childhood wish of him.

Pidgeot responded with a loud squeal. Lucario was happy to see the human side of his mentor instead of his cold killer side.

"You should go to bed. All of you. Tomorrow will be a long day." Master Oak suggested and sat down on his desk to read some letters.

"No problem master. With Pidgeot I will only need two days to Petalburg instead of two weeks with a Rapidash." his voice was filled with enthusiasm and his face was decorated with a wonderful smile. It was like he found a family member again.

Pidgeot returned to his sleeping place, which was located near the center of the city. Lucario and Pikachu preferred to sleep in the same room with her master. After all, it was their task to save him if something happens.

There was no minute in Masyaf when everybody slept. At least 20 assassins had guard duty, because assassins were considered by the whole kingdom as outlaws. To kill one of them wasn't a crime after all.

Back in his cabin, Ash undressed himself, revealing his face. He wasn't ugly, rather the opposite. But it was the highest priority of an assassin to keep his identity a secret.

"I will take a bath." He said towards his Pokémon. Pikachu nodded and rolled himself into a ball onto his master's bed. Lucario used some kind of camp bed. It was enough for him.

After a few minutes, Ash's bath was ready and Ash stepped into the bathtub. The water wasn't warm at all but you couldn't get anything. After all of his adventures you could see the scars and bruises on his body and all of them had an own story, but Ash didn't like it to remember them.

He only needed several minutes to get ready, feeling the tiredness. He then returned to his cabin and laid himself down onto his bed with one simply thought.

_Is that the last time I see all of this …_

* * *

**That was chapter one of this little story. I hope you had fun. **

**Some notes for understanding : **

**- This story is in the 15****th**** century**

**- Pokéballs don't exist**

**- Further flashbacks will reveal more of the past of both May and Ash**

**- It's not a crossover in general, because it's only contains elements of AC but no people**

**- Max doesn't exist in this story (sorry for all Max-lovers)**

**Please don't flame. I hope this story is more unique than my other ones. **

**Please review. **


	2. Chapter 2

**I am sorry for the late update. Recently I have tried to revise the stories more and more. And I could punch myself after I found some mistakes in the previous chapter. Note that this story is not rated M without a reason. **

**R&R!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or Assassin's Creed**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

The next morning was not something special, whether in Masyaf or Petalburg. The time difference between these two places is two hours and Masyaf was located east in the world.

Lucario was the first to wake up, because he was the 'servant' and had to make everything ready for the upcoming journey. He was not upset with his role and so he gathered what you need to kill someone properly.

At first he counted, the throwing knifes of his master. He owed 15 overall and on his last mission, he used seven of them. Lucario thought about their next destination and he knew that his master would need all 15 of them on their first day.

The blue Pokémon went to the armory and searched for the 'deadly' knifes, but he could not find them. They had a great amount of weapons in Masyaf. He spotted cannons, cannonballs, bows, arrows, gunpowder, spears, poison and swords.

After quiet some time he finally found the box with the knifes and took seven of them out. He thought about the possibility to take a bow and arrows with him. He didn't know whether his master was good at archery or not.

Before he could decide, someone interrupted him.

"Good morning Lucario. I see that you are already at the preparations." The voice belonged to Lucarios master who looked rather nervous today.

"Morning master! I hope I didn't wake you up." Lucario was always concerned about everything he did.

"Actually I woke up, because I'm really excited about today." Ash replied.

"Don't worry master. I already got the throwing knifes and ….." The aura Pokémon was again interrupted by the assassin, but Lucario was never upset about that.

"I thought you know that there are two things that I always choose by myself?" The hooded 'master' asked, but he wasn't mad. Lucario almost sensed some sort of sympathy from his 'master'.

"I always choose my collaborators and my weapons by myself. I trust you Lucario but caution is better than hindsight." Ash took the throwing knifes from Lucario and placed them into the brackets of his straps.

The little 'student' was unsatisfied with himself. Again he did something wrong and although his master didn't punish him he was sure that he can do better than that.

Ash looked around, saw the different kind of weapons, and was amazed that he never realized them. He almost used his hidden blade and throwing knifes for every mission, but now he needed more.

"Do you think I'm good at archery?" asked the white assassin and reviewed the bow in his hands.

"I think the only way to find out is to try it." Lucario was surprised by his casual tone, but he liked it. It represented him more like a friend than a servant.

"Right! I hope it works. I can't throw a knife 100 feet away." he chuckled and took an arrow quiver. He walked to the door, but before he left the room, he saw something.

"Lucario, could you take some of the poison bottles with you? And one of the swords and one of the daggers …." Ash really wanted everything for his mission and Lucario felt like a servant again.

"Okay, master … Ash." Lucario said the last part after Ash left the room.

At the training ground ….

The training ground was located in front of the assembly building and many novice assassins there tried to reach the skills of their idol: Master Ash.

The whole thing consisted of an archery facility, a place for close combats, obstacles courses, several training dummies and several other practice methods. It was the perfect spot to learn everything you need to kill someone and survive.

"It's quite some time that I've been here. "Revealed Ash to his two companions. The lie-abed Pikachu had waked up several minutes ago and accompanied his 'master' to this 'forgotten' place.

"That's right master, but I think this time is perfect to use the training opportunities again." Lucario said with a deep concerned voice. He didn't know why, but he had some kind of bad foreboding.

"Let's hope that these newcomers don't distract us too much." The assassin couldn't stand these newbies; they always thought that they could be as good as he could.

"Master, Can you give me some advice for my sword fighting?" And there was the first one ….

"No, master should give me some advices about my free running training!" The second …

It was Lucarios time to save his master from these idiots. He put himself in front of Ash and tried to calm the mass of untrained down.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but my master won't answer your questions because he is here to try his skills as an archer." Lucarios answer made the 'students' curious.

It was well known that Ash was a natural, because everything that he tried was a success. And now they got the chance to see it right in front of them.

"Oh, great Lucario. Now I got several onlookers." Ash grumbled because he didn't like this feeling to be the centre of attention.

"I'm sorry master." Lucario kneeled down so that his head touched the ground. Pikachu tried to comfort his aggrieved companion without success.

Ash shrugged and took the bow and an arrow. The target was 150 feet away, that's the distance for advanced archer but he was the master and couldn't start with the beginner distance. He put the arrow near the bowstring and strained it, hoping that it wouldn't tear. Ash closed one of his eyes to get a better perspective. His breathing became slower and everything around him became silent, putting him into some kind of trance. He couldn't hear the cheering crowd or the wind. He realized that the wind came from the left side and he instinctively aimed a little to the left. After some seconds, that felt like minutes, he let loose of the string and the arrow shot with incredible force towards his target.

The next thing he heard were cheers and applause, coming from the novice assassins. He hit the target right in the middle, leaving everyone in amazement.

"Very good master. Again you proved to be a natural in everything you do." Lucario was relieved that it didn't end in an embarrassing moment for Ash, because it would be his fault.

"Whatever Lucario, but I think it's a difference whether you hit an object or a moving guardian!" The master assassin could never be satisfied with his actions.

"Of course master, you're right." the aura Pokémon bowed.

"As much as I want to try out my sword fighting skills we have to go now." This was just an excuse from Ash to leave all of the 'students' behind him. Of course, the crowd was disappointed but nobody wanted to argue with a man who killed over 100 different people in the past.

Lucario and Pikachu followed their master to the outside of the castle, wondering what awaited them.

"Shouldn't we inform master Oak that we start now?" Lucario wondered.

"He doesn't have to know and I'm sure it's enough to send him a Pidgey after we killed the first one on our list." That was the Ash everybody knew. It never bothered him to say goodbye to someone or not.

The middle-sized Pokémon carried all of the weapons and the yellow rodent already occupied his regular place on Ash's shoulder.

All of them reached the place outside the building and the master assassin called for his third companion.

"PIDGEOT!? We're ready to leave." He shouted and waited for an answer. This was the first time that he won't use a Rapidash, but flying is better than riding.

It took the large bird only a few seconds to respond to this order. Without hesitation, he flew down to his master and lowered his back, allowing the three to climb up his back.

They threw one last glance towards their 'home' that they wouldn't see for an unknown amount of time. They left without much hustle, leaving everyone in ignorance about their next quest.

And so it begins …..

* * *

Monday morning, Maple house (Giovanni's territory) ….

* * *

The bright sunbeams found their way through the curtains and woke up a certain brunette, who couldn't wait to leave this house of horror. She sat up and looked around, hoping that this never-ending nightmare would stop. She knew however, it wouldn't happen.

She threw the bed sheets away and walked to a small water bucket. Giovanni never spent a penny on her and so she didn't have a bathroom, a wardrobe or anything.

May washed her face and hands, trying to get rid of the smell that the house put on her.

She only got two different sets of clothing, but May made the best out of her situation. It wasn't a secret that the young brunette was a beauty and she was very famous before fate took her parents away.

Before she left her room, she hid her little Pikachu doll under her bed cover. Her 'family photo' was put back into the drawer.

The next thing was the most difficult one, because she had to see her 'sister'.

May walked down the stairs, expecting the worst after Giovanni accused her to break the vase yesterday. For her surprise, the little devil and Giovanni weren't in the kitchen and she couldn't spot some of the servants.

The brunette looked around, wondering whether she had overslept or not.

On the kitchen table, however was a little note and it was addressed to May.

_Jesse and I were invited to a dance event in the royalty. It's appropriate that you won't get a breakfast after the events yesterday. You can be happy that I'm so generously. And don't dare to eat something! Persian will make sure that you won't do anything stupid. Feed her before you left the house!_

After finishing the letter, May was both happy and depressed. She was happy because she didn't have to see Jesse and her stepfather, but depressed that she wouldn't get something to eat.

Persian, Giovanni's favorite pet and Pokémon, was sleeping right in front of the pantry, making it impossible to get something out of it. May couldn't stand this cat, but it was mutual. The brunette however couldn't ignore the wish of her stepfather, because it wasn't a wish but a command.

She tried to suppress her own hunger and walked towards a cupboard that was filled with Pokémon food. It was a completely cupboard for this light brown cat with the black ears.

She took one of the container and opened it, waking the cat up in the process. Persian licked her teeth, because she knew that this girl had to do everything for her.

May put some of the food into a bowl and went to the cat, although she was afraid of her. She approached the cat, but she heard Persian growl instead of purr.

The last maple put the bowl near the cat, but unfortunately, she couldn't get her hand away quick enough. She was scratched by the cat and her hand started to bleed heavily.

May wanted to cry, but who should comfort her? She ran upstairs and grabbed her backpack before she left the house, leaving the horror behind her.

Persian looked after her before she focused her attention back to her food. The evolution of Meowth didn't have problems to eat all of the food by herself and after two minutes, she was finished. The cat was satisfied with herself and licked off her paws before she rolled up into a ball of fur again.

Everyone was well fed, with the exception of a poor girl …..

* * *

Border between the Kanto and Hoenn kingdoms …..

* * *

Ash and his fellow 'friends' decided to take a break before they would cross the border of the two kingdoms. He ordered his Pidgeot to land near the border control.

"Normally I would have to bribe the border guards, but I think it will be much easier to fly over the border." The assassin with the white frock explained to his Pokémon.

"It's quite a while that we traveled so far away." Lucario remembered the times when he and Ash had to travel to the Jotho kingdom to assassinate the refugees from the Kanto kingdom.

"Right, but we had never been to the Hoenn kingdom, let alone Petalburg town." The assassin thought about the next days.

The yellow rodent known as Pikachu looked for some berries, but unfortunately, he attracted the attention of a patrolling guard that searched for illegal invaders.

The electro-type tried to confuse the guard with some Quick attacks, but he couldn't shake him off. After some back and forth the guard spotted the camp of some Kanto natives and approached them.

"Master, I sense an unfamiliar aura that walks to this place." Lucario turned into the direction and prepared for a fight. Pidgeot noticed the tension in the air and fluttered with his wings, ready to take off at any moment.

Ash took one last sip from his mug before he stood up and reached for his sword. That seemed to be the perfect time to see how good he is at sword fighting. But at first he had to see what kind of opponent he has to face.

They heard the rustling of a bush before they spotted their familiar Pikachu.

"Lucario, it's only Pikachu." Ash shook his head and released his grip on his hilt. He couldn't explain to himself why Lucario said that this was an unfamiliar aura.

A few seconds later a giant-like man appeared out of nowhere and looked at the four unwelcome guests.

"Who are you?" You could see that he was a Hoenn guardian, because he wore a red chain armor. Kanto royalty color was brown, Jotho's blue, Hoenn's red and Sinnoh's yellow.

"We're just some travelers." Ash hoped that this was enough to satisfy the guardian. It would be no problem to eliminate him, but he didn't want to pull attention.

"Can I see your passport?" The predecessor pf the normal passport consisted of the signature, hometown, name and location of the person.

Ash was puzzled by that question, he never had a passport and it would be a stupid idea for an assassin to have one unless it was a forgery. He wasn't used to that kind of situation and he played with the thought of killing the man. He decided to talk to him at first, before he made hasty decisions.

"Why should I show you a passport? I don't want to cross the border!" Ash lied, but the guardian couldn't prove the opposite.

"That doesn't matter! Everyone who approaches the border in a range of 3 miles have to show his passport!" His voice became more serious, and he took the hilt of his sword.

"Who decided that?" That question was really stupid, because there was only one who could change legislation of the border.

"The almighty king Cyrus of course." The Hoenn native stated with proud and smirked towards the stranger.

"But that's here is Kanto and not Hoenn." Ash became inpatient with the guardian. He lowered his tone and he knew that the opportunity of solving the problem without violence shrank with the second.

"Do you question king Cyrus decisions?" The red guardian approached the stranger and they were only a few feet away from each other.

In this moment Ash made his decision and he was ready to kill this bastard of a guardian. Lucario only needed to look into his masters eyes to know what he was about to do.

Ash extended his hidden place and targeted his victim. His target was the kidney of the huge man, because he would faint within one second and didn't have the opportunity to scream in pain.

He pushed the blade into the mans stomach but Ash underestimated the armor of the guardian and the blade slide off. The assassin was shocked but he immediately aimed for the unprotected neck of the man. The situation heated up and the man realized that he was facing an assassin, noticing the danger in front of him.

The large man dodged the next attack and ran away into the direction of the border.

"Fuck!" This reaction didn't surprise anyone. Ash was furious, because he did a rookie mistake and the guardian would inform the others.

"Should I follow him master?" Lucario asked and made himself ready to trace the man.

"Of course!" The Masyaf native crunched with his teeth, because he knew that he made things much more complicated and that he couldn't keep his travel time.

Pikachu looked really guilty, but you couldn't change things that happened. Ash commanded his Pidgeot to wait for him and the other three started to hunt their 'new prey'.

_How could I be so stupid?.. _Ash asked himself. He knew that this man wore an armor, but nevertheless he aimed for a spot that was covered by a chain mail.

"Damn! I lost him. Lucario, try to locate him with your aura. It's obvious that he knows this place better than us." Ash already knew every town in the Kanto kingdom, but a small forest was too much for him.

"Okay master!" Lucario immediately concentrate his aura and closed his eyes. At first he sensed a few Pidgeys and he decided to search a bigger area. After two minutes he felt the presence of multiple men.

"Master, I found the guardian but it seems that he is already with his fellow guards!" The aura Pokémon finished his search and informed his master who started to chuckle.

"What's the reason?" Lucario was puzzled and looked confused to his master.

"Do you really think that we would make it to Petalburg town without killing a few people?" His smile turned into a frown, because their mission started right here.

"Why do you want to kill them master? We could fly over the border and nobody would notice it." The blue Pokémon discussed this topic with his master, but he was doomed to fail with his arguments.

"You have to learn a lot of things about discretion." Ash approached his Lucario "What do you think would happen if we let them alive?"

"I think they would search everywhere and inform the king that they spotted an assassin near the border …. Oh." The aura Pokémon finally got it and bowed in front of his master.

"That's right! They would be looking for us before we even reach Petalburg town." Ash clarified some things with his Pokémon "Tell me Lucario! How many guardians are there?"

"They are seven." replied Lucario and looked into the direction where he sensed the auras before.

"It's probably really good that we met them. It can't harm us to warm up before we enter the Hoenn kingdom." Ash took his bow and some arrows before he walked into the direction that Lucario showed him.

They walked through the forest before they reached a free precincts. The border wasn't very impressive, because it consisted only of some barbed wire fences and wooden fences.

The important building was a small lodge in the middle of the road. Ash saw the guardian that ran away and he was talking with three of his fellow companions.

Even Pikachu couldn't hear what they were talking, but Ash could see that one of them entered the house and the remaining three guardians approached the forest. That meant that three men were outside the house and four men inside it.

"What do you suggest master?" Lucario wasn't so experienced like his master and asked him as often as possible.

"At first we have to eliminate these three. That shouldn't be a problem and after that we have to kill the remaining four. But we can think about that later!" Ash used such a casual tone when he spoke about killing people, but he never did something else in his life.

"And who should be the first, mas …." Before Lucario could finish the sentence he heard the sizzling noise of an arrow and one second later he saw that one guardian was hit in the neck with it. The deadly wounded man grabbed the arrow but he hadn't the power to pull it out.

"That's answered my question about moving targets." The smile on Ash's face couldn't be bigger but they still had two men to go.

The two Hoenn natives were shocked, but they knew that this was one more reason to kill this assassin without hesitation.

"They aren't so easily frightened like the last ones!" Ash noticed that, but he got a nice idea about his next move. He pulled one of the poison bottles out of his frock and dripped some of it onto one of his throwing knifes. He was aware that this was a fast-acting poison and he had to be careful while using it.

Lucario watched every single movements of his master. He never realized that Ash could be innovative like that, but he knew that drastic times need drastic methods.

"Pikachu, could you lure one of the guardians away?" Pikachu was always good as a lure but Ash knew that his yellow rodent was able to protect himself. "If anything happens you can paralyze him."

The electro-type nodded and ran past the guardian that spotted them before and lured him to a remote place. The other guardian looked to the bushes where the rodent came out.

He used his halberd to stick into the bush, but he should know better than that. One second later and he felt the sharp end of a knife in his leg. He pulled it out of the wound and threw it away. But the poison was already inside his bloodstream.

"Your bastard of assassin, do you believe that this little knife can stop us?" He started to laugh, but suddenly he got problems to breath and felt onto his knees. The guardian writhed in pain and spat blood, before his movements stopped.

"This poison is good." Lucario noticed and looked for some money. His master didn't order him to do that, but he thought it would be good to have some money when they arrive at their destination.

"Let's go to Pikachu." Ash said.

They arrived soon and saw a guardian who seemed to be paralyzed. Pikachu stood near the guardian and was happy that his master was back.

"I think we should ask him some questions, before we eliminate him." Ash approached the man and leaned against a tree.

"Tell me why Cyrus is so afraid of invaders." He intentionally didn't say king.

"It's king Cyrus for you! " The guardian answered in pain, but he kept his honor.

"Doesn't matter to me. Does your precious 'king' plan something?" Ash mocked his enemy while using a silly voice to embarrass the Hoenn native.

"Shut up! I won't say anything to you, you son of a bitch!" Ash's smile turned upside down and Lucario didn't know if his master could keep his cool after this comment. To Lucarios surprise Ash didn't go ballistic.

"Really? Then I don't see a reason to keep you alive." Ash said with a cold voice and his smile returned. He always used this tactic to force someone to speak. Lucario and Pikachu smirked because they knew that he won't be alive either way.

Ash extended his hidden blade and approached the man until he was only one feet away. The guardian now had to prove if he loves his king as much as his own life.

"Please don't! King Cyrus planned some kind of war but I don't know against who and when. You have to believe me!" The man began to beg, but that didn't surprise Ash, because Cyrus isn't a king for that you would sacrifice your own life.

"Okay, I believe you …" Ash said and the guardian sighed in relief " … but I think my blade doesn't!" With these words he stabbed the man and within seconds he killed his third men today. The guardian fell down and didn't move.

Ash seemed to be lost in his thoughts until Lucario broke the silence "What do you think about that master? This whole war thing …"

But Ash didn't respond and kept looking onto the ground. He still heard these four words 'Son of a bitch'. Painful memories from his past haunted him again.

_/Flashback/_

_The small nine-year-old Ash lived in his hometown. Pallet town was more a village than a town, but he loved it. _

_It was past midnight and Ash should already sleep, but loud noises woke him up from his dream world. He was afraid and hid under his bed, unable to move one inch. Suddenly he heard a crashing noise, seemingly from the house door. _

_He was afraid and didn't dare to look for the reason, hoping that this would be a nightmare. Ash then heard a loud scream and he was shocked because it belonged to his mother. The little boy wanted to jump up but he hit the bed with the top of his head. _

_The last thing he heard before he passed out was his mother, calling his name _

_Ash …. Ash … Ash … _

…_.._

_/End of Flashback/_

"Master Ash!" Lucario started to shake his master, because he didn't respond for over 5 minutes now. After some seconds Ash woke up from his trance and thought he was attacked by someone. He pushed Lucario to the ground, pinning him by his arms. He held his blade onto his throat before he realized that this was actually one of his closest companions.

"Sorry Lucario, it was only ….. " Ash tried to explain himself but Lucario waved him off, because he could understand that Ash had a scary past.

"No problem master, but I think it's time to take care of the remaining four men." He looked to the small house that contained their enemies. Four men at the same time could be a problem, although Ash was superior in experience and quickness.

"Right, but I think I have an idea for a new combination." Ash smirked and took his bow. He went to the side of the house, looking for a window. The Pokémon followed him without hesitation and were curious about his 'plan'.

"Perfect …" he mumbled when he saw the window and all of the guardians were in the same room. He put his hand onto Lucarios shoulder and explained his plan.

"I will tell you our method!" The assassin motioned his Pokémon to him. "Lucario, you will shoot an aura sphere into the window and with some luck it will cause a lot of smoke. The guardians will be forced to run out without their weapons and that will be Pikachus cue. You will paralyze them with your thunder wave and I will have enough time to kill them from the distance with my bow or the throwing knifes." The plan was simple but effective.

All members went to their respective positions. Pikachu went near the door and waited for his use. Lucario focused his aura between his paws and waited for the sign. Ash took his bow and targeted the entrance door before he whistled into the direction of Lucario.

The time had come and Lucario shoot the aurasphere into the window, causing a loud bang and a lot of smoke. The first part of their plan was a success and Pikachu waited for the right time to use thunder wave on all of the guardians.

"What is it taking so long?" Ash became inpatient and he lost his concentration, lowering the bow in the process. Are these men so stupid or did the aurasphere killed them?

"Wait there Lucario!" The assassin ordered and went to the house, but with much care. He wouldn't underestimate these Hoenn natives again.

He sneaked to the house wall and leaned himself against it before moving closer to the window. The smoke made it difficult for him to see something, but Ash was sure that he didn't spot these four men. He jumped onto the ledge and was ready to enter the house, but before he could do so he was smashed in the face with a wooden chair.

"Master/Pikapi." Lucario and Pikachu screamed in union because their master was in great danger. Ash flew backwards and landed on his neck, but he was to athletic to be knock out by that.

"Fucking assholes!" he cursed all of the guardians and removed the wooden splinters from his clothes. All of their enemies jumped through the window opening, one looked more dangerous than the other did.

Lucario could see why their plan backfired because the guards used some clothes to cover their mouths. They seemed to be trained for this kind of situations, but Ash was ready to take on them.

Lucario and Pikachu ran to come to the aid of their master, but the guardians knew about them and opened the shed door, releasing two Houndooms. The first one used a Tackle attack to push Pikachu away and the second Houndoom used Flamethrower on Lucario. The half steel-type couldn't help his master who was alone against four stronger opponents.

Ash was surround by the four men, but he was ready to fight and even to die. He drew his sword and waited for the right moment. His only advantage was his speed and agility, because he couldn't win a direct exchange of blows.

The guardians circled around him like vultures a cadaver, but no one wanted to land the first hit. Ash remembered a part of his training and he would use it to full potential here. At first he looked for the weakest one, using fear as his allied.

"You little namby-pamby there!" he looked to the smallest of the squad "I'm sure that you still wet your pants. " That wasn't a very original quote, but it would do his job.

Lucario and Pikachu still battled the 'dogs' and looked in horror when they saw one of the guardians attacked their master. What they didn't know was the fact that Ash planned this whole thing.

The guard forgot all of his lessons about defense and counter and so he was an easy victim for the sword of the 'master' . He ran virtually into his opponent's sword, injuring him heavily.

Ash immediately used the astonishment of his remaining three foes, swung his sword around, and cut the throat of another guard. The last thing the large man did was to hold onto his throat but he couldn't stop the flow of blood.

Two more rounds to go and Ash turned to the next enemy, but he didn't expect him to be so quick. The assassin was surprised and did a step backwards, but the tip of the sword reached his skin. It slid down over his left eye, causing lot of blood to drop down to the earth. Ash tried to regain his composure, but he couldn't open his left eye and so he let it closed. The situation had a sudden change of events, but everyone knew that a wounded lion was the most dangerous one.

The next few seconds went very fast and Ash was able to use one of his throwing knifes to eliminate another foe, but he couldn't see the last enemy. He turned around and saw the sword cut. His attempt to parry it failed and he felt backwards. The sword flew away and landed several feet away from him.

Ash was pushed into a corner and Lucario and Pikachu couldn't do anything to aid there master in his second of need. He tried to extend his hidden blade but the guardian stomped onto his hand, making it impossible for him to use it.

The master assassin couldn't believe it, he would die before he actually started his mission. He underestimated everything and now he would die and nobody could save him, but he won't beg for his life.

"Any last words?" asked the guardian while he took a swing with his sword.

Ash didn't respond but spat into the face of the man, infuriating him.

Lucario was able to hit an aurasphere on one of the Houndooms and it threw him back into a rock. The yellow rodent was able to hit an iron tail on his 'dog' .

But they weren't able to stop the attack on their master and Ash looked straight into his foes eyes, trying to scare him with his attitude or dying with honor. The sword came crashing down on Ash, but it never reached him when the guardian was grabbed by someone.

The man screamed when he was thrown with high speed into the house wall, killing him with ease after his head hit the hard stalls.

Lucario and Pikachu sighed in relief, but who saved their master? Ash used his good eye to look up and saw a huge Pokémon, but it wasn't some Pokémon. It was his trusty Pidgeot who saved his life.

"Thank you Pidgeot, I think we are even now." he smiled and covered his bad eye with his hands.

"Master, are you alright?" Lucario was concerned and Pikachu noticed the blood on his master's face. It was terrifying for him to see his best 'friend' in that condition.

"I'm fine. It could be worse, I guess." he joked.

"But what is with your eye?" Lucario tried to help his master to his feet. He couldn't forgive himself if his master died today and he felt completely useless after today events.

"I think my eye is alright, but I'm sure it will be a nice scar." Blessing in disguise for the hooded man who still had two eyes but the scar that went vertically across his left eye would always remind him of today.

"I'm sorry master. I was completely useless and it's my fault." Lucario was ready to blame himself for every bad event today.

"You know that this isn't true Lucario!" Ash yelled, because he was unsatisfied with himself "I made a lot of rookie mistakes today."

"But master …." Lucario was interrupted by his master.

"No 'buts' Lucario. Nobody of us was killed and everything could be much worse." Ash looked around and realized that this place looked like a battleground.

"We shouldn't leave like that. I think it would attract to much attention." Ash kicked a helmet away and looked to the house.

"What do you suggest master?" Lucario, Pidgeot and Pikachu eagerly awaited the decision of their 'friend'.

"We should drag all of the bodies into the house and set it on fire, but it has to look like an 'accident'." It would be a great solution, because nobody would be distrustful after seeing this 'accident'.

"Okay, master. Let's do it." Lucario said and began to pull one of the dead into the house. He thought it would be a good idea to put him onto a chair in a sitting position to make it more believable.

After all guardians were placed into the house, even those they had killed in the forest, they set it on fire. They used a candle to spark the fire inside the house and after a few minutes the whole building was covered by flames.

"Good job everyone." Ash praised his Pokémon and crossed his arms while watching the fire. It took a lot of time, but they were sure that nobody would know about their coming.

"Can you open your eye master?" Lucario asked him the twentieth time.

"Maybe, but it hurts like hell and I think it wouldn't harm me to close it until tomorrow." Ash took his weapons and walked back to their camp. Everyone followed him.

Afternoon turned to evening, but the group of assassins couldn't rest near the border anymore.

"Pidgeot, could you take us over the border, but I think two hours are enough and after that we will rest for the night." Ash suggested. The large bird nodded and leaned forward. The human and the two Pokémon climbed up his back and the Pidgey evolution took off.

Their first day of traveling was a rough one, but nobody said that this would be an easy mission.

…..

* * *

At the Public girl's school in Petalburg …..

* * *

May was happy, although she was starving. She would see her best friend today and the only one who understood her and her problems.

She wandered through the streets, admiring all the people for their 'freedom', but May wasn't the whining type.

She was followed by a little creature that could be compared to a stray cat, but it hid itself every time when May looked back. This little thing was seemingly interested in this girl.

The public school wasn't far away from her 'home', but far enough for her to forget her problems at home. Like every public school it wasn't the prettiest one and the pupils weren't taught a lot of subjects. All of that didn't bother May, because she couldn't ask for a better place to relax.

She reached the school twenty minutes before it started, but for her luck Dawn was already there as well. Every girl between seven and eighteen was taught at this school and that meant that this was the last year for both May and Dawn.

"Hello Dawn. I'm glad to see you." May hugged her friend. She couldn't express in words how much she missed her, but it wasn't necessary.

"Hi May. I'm happy that you're alright." The blunette hugged her back and noticed the scratch on May's hand.

"What happened to your hand May?" Dawn knew about the conditions in May's house and she wished that she could help her, but she was a teenage girl herself.

"Nothing important. It was Persian. I hate this cat, but it isn't something major." May shrugged it off, because it doesn't matter to her. She didn't want to talk about Jesse, Giovanni or Persian.

Suddenly May's stomach growled and this wasn't unnoticed by her blue-haired friend. May's face turned red in embarrassment and she pleaded her belly to stay quiet.

"Are you hungry May? Didn't you eat something for breakfast?" Dawn knew the appetite of her friend and she couldn't believe that May wouldn't eat something.

"Something happened and Giovanni forbade me to eat dinner last evening and breakfast this morning, but I don't want to talk about the details." May's face darkened. She remembered the smirk that Jesse gave her last day.

"That's unfair. Come on, you can eat some of my bread and an apple. I know it's not much but …" Dawn was always the helping-type and she couldn't see one of her best friends suffer.

"I can't accept that Dawn, I don't want to exploit you …. " the brunette tried to reason with her friend but it was senseless.

"That's no problem May. I already ate breakfast!" she exclaimed and gave May an apple and some bread. The orphan hesitated but took the food nevertheless.

"Thank you very much Dawn." May wanted to cry, but she stopped herself from doing that. She hugged her 'only' friend and began to eat, enjoying every bite of it.

"We only have two subjects today. Do you want to go to the park after that?" Dawn knew that there wasn't something that May would like more than being away from her house.

"Of course Dawn, I'd love too." May clasped her hands in front of her face with hearts in her eyes. Their was always the possibility that they could meet some boys. Their whole action was observed by the little follower of May.

"The school will start in a few minutes! Let's go to the classroom." Dawn was the average girl next door, but you couldn't ask for a better friend. Her parents were ordinary farmers, but it could be much worse. Look at May.

"I'm coming." May responded and trotted into the school building.

The whole school day that consisted of two subjects wasn't that noteworthy. Dawn and May only had to survive mathematics and spelling. Both girls of them were abnormal good at these subjects, but it didn't matter whether you are good or not. If you aren't a noble you would never achieve something in your life.

Everyone in this school was friendly, even the teachers. That was something that you couldn't say about the private schools.

Dawn and May finished their school duties in the early afternoon. And now they had enough time to visit the park. The two girls left the school and went to the park, not realizing that they were again followed by a small shadow.

They crossed the poor district and a small part of the noble district before they reached the beautiful park. You could say nothing bad about the park, because it was a park of a royal city. Only a quarter of it was accessible for the 'normal population', but that was enough for May and Dawn.

They found a small park bench and sat down. The small shadow thought it would be the best to hid inside on of those bushes.

"What should the perfect boy for you be like?" Dawn started with a casual question, at least in her opinion. She loved this small girl talks and May and her were so alike, except their appetites.

"I don't know ….. I think he should be independent and sweet, but you know that we can't be picky." May was sad. Dawn knew that she was right. It was only a dream that they could find their dream boy, but it wasn't forbidden to dream.

They were disturbed in their silence by a rustling bush and a small fur ball rolled out of it.

"What's that?" Dawn and May said in union, because they were surprised to see something like that in the city of government.

"Eevee? …"

* * *

**End of chapter two. I know that you are disappointed that Ash hasn't arrived yet, but this story should be longer than ten chapters. **

**Does anyone of you wish that Ash has to kill Giovanni? But now to some facts for understanding :**

**- The world consists of the four kingdoms : Hoenn, Kanto, Jotho, and Sinnoh**

**- The assassin brotherhood is based in the Kanto kingdom**

**- Ash now has a scar across his eye**

**- I hesitated to give the guards Pokémon. I don't think that Ash should start to kill Pokémon.**

**- Dawn hast both parents in this story (Don't know the name for her father though)**

**- There weren't much flashbacks but you will read more after Ash arrives in Petalburg**

**Please don't flame.**

**Please review. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Let us go on with chapter 3! It will be maybe more interesting than the last one. I still need a friend for Dawn. Do you want Paul or Kenny? I have ideas for both of them, but I could not make up my mind. Story is rated M for violence and bad language. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon or Assassins Creed**

**R&R!**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

"Eevee?…"

"Is that an Eevee, Dawn?" May said. She remembered too have seen one of these Pokémon long time ago, but she was too young too have an own one.

"I'm sure it is, but what is it doing here? I thought that only noble people are allowed to have this kind of Pokémon?" Dawn looked around to spot the owner of Eevee, but it was very unlikely that a noble person would be in the 'third-class' part of the park.

"It's so cuuuuute!" May squealed.

"Be quiet! Do you want someone to hear you?" Dawn almost toppled over at the antics of her best friend. The brown fox Pokémon looked confused, but decided to stay.

May clasped her hands in front of her mouth to stop her squealing.

"Can we keep it?" Typical reaction from May, but Dawn didn't know. The little Eevee looked like an abandoned one, because it was dirty and looked very hungry.

"Are you insane?" Dawn was shocked. Her best friend already got enough problems and now she wanted to care for a Pokémon.

"Pleeeeeaaaaaasssssse!" May gave Dawn her puppy dog eyes and tried to form tears in her eyes.

"That doesn't work on me, May! I'm not a boy who you can twist his head with your beauty and cuteness." Dawn was right. You can't see use the puppy dog eyes tactic on someone who could use it itself.

May was in a huff and she wouldn't move until Dawn allowed her to keep that cute thing in front of them. Without noticing, the Eevee had approached the two girls.

"You act like a child May!" Dawn became a little inpatient with her friend.

Dawn didn't want to give in, but the brunette still knew a few tricks to convince her. May began to hold her breath and refused to breathe until Dawn would grant her the wish.

"May, I know what you are up to, but my answer is no! I'm not your moth …." Dawn stopped mid-sentence and apologized for this. It was a bad idea to mention May's mom in front of her.

May's eyes began to water up. Dawn knew that it would take days to cheer her up again, unless she grants her that wish.

"Okay, you can keep this Eevee." Dawn sighed in defeat, but she knew what was coming next. And that was the main reason that she denied it at first.

May immediately stopped sobbing and smiled at her friend. You could assume that she planned this whole scenario, but her tears were real.

"And Dawn?" May smirked again.

"What is it, May?" Dawn didn't want to ask that question. In the meantime, May picked up the fox like Pokémon and stroked her fur. The evolution Pokémon cooed in pleasure and stretched his legs, rolling onto his back on May's lap.

"You know that Eevee can't live in my house. So it has to live with you." May said casually. Eevee wouldn't survive one day in Giovanni's house with that cat Persian around.

Dawn put on her 'I-know-it' look and waved slightly with her hand. She hadn't to say anything, because she already agreed to keep that fox.

"Thank you, Dawn. You're a real friend." The brunette hugged her blunette friend. Eevee was happy, because she followed May the whole day in hope to find a new home, but she was too afraid to show herself until she felt out of the bush.

"But May! We should be sure that this Eevee hasn't a home yet!" Dawn was always this kind of person who tried to prevent anything that could lead to an argument later on.

"Let's ask Eevee!" May suggested and looked down to the baby Pokémon. It took some seconds before the fox realized that these two girls were staring at her.

"Eevee?" The small evolution Pokémon rolled into a ball and used his tail as a shield.

"Don't be afraid! Do you have a home?" May asked while fondling the hat of the fearful Pokémon.

Eevee shook her head, implying that she hadn't a home or that she didn't want to return to her own home.

"Great!" Dawn sighed in desperation "Now I have to explain to my parents why I have this pet ."

"No need to worry Dawn!" May teased her best friend with her own quote. "Your parents will understand it. "

"I think you're right, but it will need some convincing." Dawn looked to the small troublemaker and scratched her behind her ear, receiving a noise of pleasure from her.

"It's getting late Dawn and you know how my stepfather is." May sighed, but she knew that it wasn't smart to make Giovanni angry. The sun already started to set and Dawn had to go home to help her parents with the fieldwork.

"It's a shame that this day passed so quickly and we didn't even meet one boy." It was Dawn's dream to meet a cute boy since she turned thirteen.

"I know Dawn, but maybe tomorrow." May's attempts to cheer her friend up never failed, but she said this sentence for the thousands time and it became unlikely that they would ever find the right one.

"I know ….." Dawn was upset, but she kept her smile and took Eevee from May. At first Eevee resisted, but May assured her that she would visit her tomorrow. This seemed to be enough to convince the fox Pokémon to stay with Dawn.

"I think that's Good Bye, Dawn." May hated this part of the day, but she had to be home before sunset. She was sure that Giovanni and Jesse were already home. She couldn't put a finger on it, but her stepfather seemed to become worse with the day,

"Yeah. Good Bye May." Dawn waved good-bye alongside Eevee. After that May and Dawn walked to their respective homes. May felt better, because she had two reasons to look forward to tomorrow. Eevee was one of two Pokémon that she always wanted to see, the other one being a Pikachu.

Both didn't know that their lives would change dramatically within the next days.

* * *

Back at 'May's house' …..

* * *

The Maple family was once a respected family among all of the nobles, but after some tragic events the family broke apart and May was the last remaining one of her family. But May couldn't inherit her family's heritage because her mother was married to a businessman before she passed away. This man brought one of his daughters into the family, Jesse.

May walked up the stairs to the entrance door of her house, but she could already see that the rest of her 'family' was already home.

She opened the door and saw Jesse with a fabulous dress that formerly belonged to Caroline Maple. Jesse seemed to be happy about something, but that's all. What's good for Jesse is bad for May.

May tried to sneak to her room, but the Persian cat would never let her go upstairs like that. The cat informed Giovanni about May's arrival.

"Isn't this the little brat May?" Giovanni never welcomed her friendly, because she was a pain to his ass. He seemed to read a newspaper while sitting in an armchair.

"Yes sir. I came back after I realized that the sun was setting." May informed her stepfather that she didn't forget his rules.

"Oh good." You could hear the sarcasm in his voice "You remember that rule, but I instructed you to feed Persian, however after I came back my precious cat was starving."

"But sir, I fed her before I left the house …." May tried to defend herself, but she should know that it was senseless.

"Does this look like a well-fed cat for you?" He shouted at her and pointed to Persian. The cat tried her best to act like a starving Pokémon, although it couldn't move after all of the food. May tried to find the cat bowl but she couldn't find it. She assumed that Persian hid it under the couch or so.

"I really fed her!" She almost cried, although she knew that Jesse would tease her for that. Everybody would melt by the look of the nice girl, but Giovanni was a corrupt man.

"And now you lie to me!" He raised his voice again and was about to slap her again, but May was saved by the doorbell. She didn't know who could be at the door, but she thanked him in her mind.

"That has to be him!" Giovanni talked to Jesse, before he shifted his gaze back to May "You're lucky. Go to your room and don't come down." This visitor had to be important, because her stepfather didn't want that he or she saw May.

May bowed and walked upstairs to her room, but she knew that there wouldn't be a dinner for her again. The food-loving girl waited on top of the stairs to see who the visitor was.

Giovanni opened the door and welcomed the guest, but May couldn't tell who it was. She assumed that it could be one of her stepfather's business partners or some rich woman.

"Hello , Duke James. It's a pleasure to have you here." Giovanni welcomed the guest with an unfamiliar friendliness.

"The pleasure is on my side Giovanni. I assume that this lovely lady there is your daughter. Am I right?" Duke James took one hand of Jesse and gave it a peck kiss.

Jesse giggled and even blushed, but May had seen enough and went into her room. She felt betrayed by her stepfather, because she knew that nobody she know that she is the 'stepdaughter' of the 'great Giovanni'. But May would feel better if she don't be her stepdaughter.

May enjoyed the loneliness for a short while, before she crawled into her 'bed'. She took her family photo and remembered the better times before she brought out her favorite and only toy. The little soft toy Pikachu wasn't the prettiest one, but she wouldn't trade it for all the money of the world.

She cuddled with her toy until she fell asleep. She hoped that she would at least getting breakfast tomorrow, but all of her thoughts were by her friend Dawn and her 'first' pet Eevee.

She really wished to be Dawn's sister, but May would never betray the name of her family. The girl was the last of the Maple's and she would make her parents proud, somehow.

Her dreams remembered her of the first time that she heard from Jesse and Giovanni.

_/Flashback/_

_Nine-year-old May played with her toys, but she was thrilled to see her mother again. Caroline have been away for eight hours, but she promised her daughter to have a big surprise for her when she comes back. _

_The little brunette heard the door open and she ran into the arms of her mother, who entered the house. Everything seemed to be perfect and May wanted to know what her present is._

"_I've missed you mommy" she almost squealed, but she meant every word of it. _

"_I missed you too, honey." Caroline hugged her daughter and placed some bags in the corner. _

"_I'm sure that you want to see your present." May's mum loved it to let her daughter wait in excitement. _

"_Look here!" Caroline took one of the bags and revealed a white and red dress. It was a gorgeous one and it matched perfect with May's beauty. _

"_It's great mommy. Thank you so much." May hugged her mother again. The little kid immediately held the dress up to see it completely. _

"_I wish that I could wear it on a special occasion." The smaller brunette dreamed and danced with the dress through the house, making her mother giggling. _

"_There will be an occasion, May." Caroline smiled and looked at her only daughter who stopped dancing. She had a questioning look on her face. _

"_What do you mean, mommy?" The confusion of May was understandable, but her mother often talked in puzzles. _

"_I met a man today and he was very nice. His name is Giovanni and he has a little daughter. I'll bet that you would love her. She is just like you." Caroline explained her meeting with the stranger to her daughter._

"_But mommy. I thought that you don't want to meet men." May asked puzzled. Shortly after Norman's death Caroline told her daughter that she would always love May's dad and that there wouldn't be another man in her life. _

"_I know May, but it hasn't to be like that. These two could be like special friends for us. You always told me that you would love to have a sister or brother." Caroline explained her point of view. _

"_I know mommy, but I wouldn't mind if there are just the two of us." May couldn't imagine her mum with another man besides her dad. _

_Caroline kneeled down and placed her hands on May's shoulders to comfort her. _

"_You know May. It doesn't matter if there will be some new man in my life you and I will always be together, my little sunshine." Caroline messed up May's hair. She knows that her daughter didn't like that but it always helped to make her laugh. _

"_Oh mommy. You know that you shouldn't touch my hair like that." The small beauty tried to fix her hair again. _

"_I know May, but I'm always there for you." Caroline closed the entrance door and took the bags to the kitchen table. _

"_I only want you to give them a chance. We'll eat dinner with them this Sunday and you could wear your new dress there." Caroline talked to her daughter who seemed to have second thoughts. _

"_Okay mommy." May trusted her mother more than anybody else. How bad could Jesse and Giovanni be anyways? _

"_Thank you, sweetie. And now let's have dinner." Caroline decided to make ramen for her daughter. Her daughter loved this meal for some reason, but Caroline was happy that she was able to raise little May on her own. _

"_Yeah mommy." May squealed at the word 'dinner' and she began to jump through the room. _

_/End of Flashback/_

May smiled in her sleep every time she dreamed about her mum. She missed the old times, but it wasn't her decision what would happen next.

Duke James spent the whole evening in this house before he finally left. Giovanni tried everything in his power to hook his daughter up with someone noble and James was a very noble man.

Persian was fed again and slept near the pantry, but the cat already reached her goal to make May's day a living hell.

* * *

In the sky of the Hoenn kingdom, evening ….

* * *

"It's getting dark!" Ash exclaimed. Lucario, Pikachu and he were sitting on Pidgeot's back and all three of them were tired and wanted to rest.

"You can fly down Pidgeot! I'm sure you are tired too." Ash patted his bird Pokémon on his back as a sign of satisfaction.

For Ash's surprise Pidgeot didn't lowered his speed and flew straight towards the horizon. Ash frowned and thought whether the Pokémon had heard him or not.

The assassin leaned forwards so he was near the head of his trusted Pokémon before speaking again "Pidgeot?! It's time for a break." His words seemed to reach deaf ears, but the large bird wasn't a deaf one.

The bird Pokémon squealed and shook his head, but Ash couldn't tell what it meant. He could understand Lucario and Pikachu, but it would take years until he got to that stage with Pidgeot that he shared with his two other Pokémon.

"Sorry, but ….. I can't understand you Pidgeot." It wasn't easy for him to admit such a disadvantage like that.

"I can translate it for you master!" Lucario said and was happy that he was useful for his master, at least one time.

"Please Lucario. I want to know why he ignores my orders." Ash almost pleaded his Pokémon, but he covered it with his dark voice. A master who pleaded his servant would be a shame, although Lucario and Ash would consider there relationship as a sort of friendship rather than a master/servant one.

"He said that he don't want to rest." Lucario started to translate the first part of Pidgeots speech.

"Why shouldn't he want to rest? Isn't he tired or something?" Ash interrupted his aura Pokémon, before he could finish his interpreter job.

"Let me finish master. He said that he wants to keep flying and we can sleep on his back." Lucario knew that his master was the inpatient type but he should try to wait. Their mission in Petalburg would consist of more than just assassination.

"Do you really mean that?" Ash asked his ´flying Pokémon who nodded. The large bird really possessed a great stamina. It was really one of a kind.

"Okay Pidgeot, but if you need a break you can just wake us up." Ash really cared for the health of his partners and he would never exploiting them for his own good.

Pidgeot nodded again, then looked forward, flying through the night.

"Okay you two ,we can sleep now." Ash turned to his two Pokémon, but Pikachu already slept in Lucario's lap.

"Okay master. How is your injure?" The aura Pokémon sensed that the wound of his master still hurt. Ash just smiled and opened both of his eyes to prove that everything was all right.

"Why are you smiling master?" The puzzlement in Lucarios face was priceless, but he had a split opinion about Ash's smiles.

"It's just that we could reach Petalburg early. If Pidgeot keeps flying the whole night we could reach our destination around midday." Ash seemed to be happy, but deep inside he felt nervous about the future situation.

"Yeah master and I hope that I'll be a great help." Lucario whispered and closed his eyes. It wasn't uncomfortable for him to sleep sitting on Pidgeot's back, because it could be the last night of quiet sleep for them.

Ash leaned forward so he could use Pidgeot's feathers as a pillow and closed his eyes. He never thought that sleeping on a bird's back could be so cozy and he enjoyed the feeling. It was a quiet night and the moon shone like a bright sun.

* * *

Airspace of Petal burg , early noon …..

* * *

Lucario, Pikachu and Ash were still asleep when Pidgeot spotted a city that appeared at the horizon. The bird had never seen such a huge town and he was sure that this has to be their destination. The castle inside the city walls increased the presumption and the huge amount of guards signified the importance of this location.

The large bird thought about the possibility to land inside the city walls, but there were many guardians that were standing on the roofs of every second house, making it impossible to enter the city that way.

It wasn't possible for Pidgeot to decide the next step by himself and so he shrieked the loudest he could to wake up his passengers.

"What?!" Ash immediately woke up and took his defense position. Unfortunately, he placed his hand onto the tail of his yellow rodent, hurting him.

"PIIIKKKAAA - CHUUUUUUU" Pikachu immediately discharged himself and caused a gigantic thunderbolt.

It's one thing to receive an electro-shock on the ground and one in the air while riding a bird Pokémon. Pidgeot screamed in pain and he crashed down alongside the three sleep hats.

They 'landed' near the city gate, however their fall was slowed down by a lot of threes. It looked like a very funny scene, but Pidgeot was knocked out.

"Ouch ….." Ash rubbed the back of his head, not realizing that he wasn't on the ground yet.

During the crash Ash got stuck in a crown of a three, but the branch that he was lying on was everything but robust.

Before he could react or even realize what was going on Ash fell for the second time within a few seconds. The 'master' landed on some tail, unfortunately, the tail belonged to his Pikachu. This resulted into the second shock for the 'second most important man of Masyaf'.

Pidgeot was knocked out, Lucario left a bush, Pikachu was angry and Ash had enough from this whole thing.

"And I thought that the guards would be the biggest threat here." Ash rolled onto his back and panted heavily.

"Are you okay master?" Lucario was worried that his master could be hurt.

"Everything is fine, but I think I lost my sword." The assassin searched around, but couldn't find his important weapon. He was still dazed by the powerful thunderbolt attacks, but he tried to shrug it off.

"I'm sorry master." The aura Pokémon always apologized for everything, even for things that he couldn't have done.

"Doesn't matter, but can you tell me where we are?" A big frown grew on the face of the Kanto native.

"Before we crashed down Pidgeot screamed 'We are here.'" The Riolu evolution remembered the last thing before they went straight down.

"We are here? Does that mean that we are near Petalburg city?" Ash turned to his bird Pokémon, but he was still knocked out and it seemed that he wouldn't wake up for the next few hours.

"Excuse me master, but I sense a great gathering of aura. Behind this clearing has to be a town or big city." The blue and black Pokémon revealed his assumption.

"If so. Pikachu, could you please take care of Pidgeot. Lucarion and I will look for the entrance of this town." Ash walked towards the 'aura'.

After passing some trees and rocks Lucario and his master spotted the gate of Petalburg city. It was only guarded by two men and citizens could left and enter the city as they wanted.

"It's really Petalburg. Pidgeot did a great job." Ash praised his Pokémon, although he couldn't listen to the compliment, but Lucario assured himself to tell him later.

"Yeah master, but I think everything will happen very fast now." The aura Pokémon said.

"That's possible, but the guards don't know us and so it won't be the problem to enter the town." The black haired assassin showed signs of overconfident.

"Yes master, but what do we do with Pidgeot? He is knocked out and it could be nearly impossible to get him inside the town." The loyal Pokémon would never leave someone behind.

"I think Pikachu can take care of him until he wakes up. We should enter the city and look for information and an accommodation." Ash got this determined look and he wouldn't do it any other way.

"Like you wish master. I'll tell Pikachu about your plan." Lucario vanished the shadows of the trees.

Alone for the first time in days Ash thought about the next steps. He had to decide a lot of things.

The leader of the squad waited for several minutes until Lucario approached him from behind.

"I told them master and Pikachu agrees to take care of him."

"Thank you Lucario, but now let's go and start this whole thing. We need an overview of the whole town. At first, I thought about using Pidgeot for that, but it's maybe dangerous. There are too many archers." Ash was a good strategist.

Both of them walked towards the gate and they kept a low profile. Nobody would think that this hooded man would plan something or do they?

They passed some women and men, but nobody seemed to notice them. Just perfect for the man from the brotherhood.

After they entered the city both of them were amazed. Never before they had seen such buildings and even Masyafs castle couldn't be compared with the houses of this town.

"Just amazing." Ash couldn't explain what he was thinking right now. These buildings were so huge and he couldn't image to climb them up, although he seemed to be thrilled by that idea.

"Yes master, but where should we start? " Lucario asked.

"I think we should search for a guest room or some kind of guesthouse. As long as we aren't wanted we can afford that." Ash smirked.

"Okay master. I already see one. Over there!" Lucario pointed towards a house with the name 'Rosa in Fiore'.

"Uh….. Lucario I think that's a bordello." Ash tried to suppress a chuckle but he couldn't. It was just too priceless how his Pokémon confused a hotel with a bordello.

Lucario blushed, because he knew what a brothel was. Although it was one for human and not for Pokémon. He didn't know whether his master use such services or not, but it wasn't his job to know everything about the privacy of his master.

"That was a good one Lucario. " Ash laughed out loud "I think we should keep going."

They walked through the streets and looked for a place to stay, but they couldn't find something. Two guards passed the two strangers and Ash pulled his hood deep down to cover his face.

Petalburg city was a crowded location and everybody spent his time outside of their houses. It didn't seem that the population knew anything about a future war. The population consisted of noble people, middle class people and the third class. This part of the city seemingly belonged to the nobles, because everyone wore expensive, looking clothes and the stores sold expensive but nice accessories . It was easy for the two foreign individuals to disappear in the crowd.

"It shouldn't be that difficult to find a room for the night, damn it!" Ash cursed under his breath, but it was strange that they couldn't find one yet.

"Master, I'm sure that's one over there." The aura guardian pointed to another house with a sign. It said 'Stay and sleep in Petalburg'.

"Perfect. Let's hope that they still have a room for us." The assassin walked through the crowd, but was interrupted when his loyal Pokémon didn't follow him.

"What's up …." Ash turned around and saw his partner surrounded by children.

"Wow a Lucario!" yelled the first child.

"I've never seen one before." shouted a second child.

Lucario didn't know how to behave between this mob of children. Normally he would push them away, but children were another thing than adults.

Ash approached the kids and shouted "Go away from my Pokémon!" He hoped to scary them away, but his actions caused the opposite and the kids became more curious with the arrival of a Lucario master.

"Wow …" the kids stood there with wide eyes.

"Are you an Aura guardian?" The child from the last row shouted and looked to the hooded man. Ash felt uncomfortable with all the attention he attracted.

"NO, I'm an assas … Uh, right I'm an Aura guardian. " The proud assassin almost revealed his identity, but he couldn't stand these aura guardians. They had never helped him or his ….. Mother.

"Cool, can you show us some aura tricks? My big brother always said that aura guardians were able to make a shield consisting of aura. Could you do that? Please, please, please ….." The little boy's wish was supported by a choir of other children.

Ash was bewildered, because he knew how to use aura, however he wasn't that good that he could be compared to n aura guardian. To be honest, he didn't want to be like one.

"Sorry kids, but …." Ash's attempt to find an excuse was countered by a loud booing of the children. "… I-I-I have to-to …. Go to the king …. And help him with some - some -some bandits." The assassin had a hard time to come up with that excuse, causing him to sweat heavily.

"Really?" The kids approached the hooded man even more "Can we watch?" They asked in a typical, naïve and childish manner.

"It would be too dangerous for you!" Lucario helped his master to deal with this kindergarten and it worked, but other than he wanted.

"Wow! A talking Lucario!" It was obvious that the kids hadn't seen a speaking Pokémon yet, let alone a Lucario.

The 'killer assistant' wasn't used to be a stuffed toy and tried to free himself from the grasps, but the children had the favor in the numbers game. To make it even worse more children approached the scene and pulled the poor Pokémon on his ears, arms, nose and fur. Lucario looked to his master with pleading eyes but his master mumbled something like 'Good luck' and approached the guesthouse by himself.

'One hour and I already lost my three partners. What a rough start.' Ash thought, chuckling at the misfortune of his servant.

Ash reached the guesthouse and knocked three times on the front door. He looked at the façade, admiring the artistic ornamentation. Five seconds later the front door was opened by an old woman, seemingly sixty years old.

"Who are you and how can I help you?" The creepy woman was very polite to a person like Ash.

"I wanted to rent a room for the night if there are no circumstances." Ash looked up, allowing the woman to see more of his face but not too much.

"Sorry, but all of our rooms are occupied!" The elderly said with a harsh tone, confusing the assassin who thought that she was a nice lady.

"Okay." He answered unsure "Can you suggest a good guesthouse for me and my traveling partner?"

"Don't you read the newspaper?" she got annoyed by the strange man, who wasn't from here.

"Sorry, I'm a traveler who arrived today." He defended himself.

"Then I suggest you should travel to the next town, because you won't find a guestroom in this town." The assassin was puzzled, but tried to think about the next steps.

"Why? Are there so many travelers in this town? Is there a festival or a coronation ceremony?" Ash sensed this as an opportunity to learn more about the city and the upcoming events.

"No." The woman returned to a much quieter self of her "The king arranged that all soldiers of his army stay in the guesthouses of the town."

"Isn't that very expensive for the king to pay for his soldier's accommodations?" Ash got suspicious and the information that he got last day from the guardian went through his thoughts.

"Expensive? They don't pay one Poké for their whole stay. Every time I ask them for money to support us they tell us that we should be honored to give them quarters and support them with meals. Normally I earn my life with this pension, but now I don't even get enough money for myself. Gosh darn it!" It was rare to see an elderly cursing like that. After she finished her rant she slammed the door, leaving the stunned assassin alone with his questions.

'No accommodations in the whole town? I think that this will be a long, long day' Ash sighed and turned away.

The Kanto native was walking down the stairs when he was confronted by a furious Lucario.

"What's up?" Ash said with a wide smile, because he could assume what his Pokémon wanted.

"What's up?!" That was the first time that Lucario raised his voice in front of his master. "You let me alone with this army of semi-strong children!" The aura Pokémon panted heavily and the yellow fur on his chest was messed up.

"Calm down, Lucario!" Ash ordered his Pokémon. He didn't like that side of his partner, although he could understand that he was angry at him. " How did you escape anyways?" The assassin changed the subject.

"Uh … They found something more interesting than me." Lucario replied, calming down a bit.

"What could be more interesting than a speaking Lucario of 'an Aura Guardian'?" he chuckled. To mention himself as an Aura Guardian was something that he could only saw as a joke.

"Uh … It was … an iceman." Lucario noticed how stupid that sounds. To be beaten by an iceman in category of interest was something that Lucario couldn't understand.

'Stupid kids!' he mumbled under his breaths. He blushed in embarrassment when he heard his master laughing.

"One point for the iceman, zero for Lucario" Ash couldn't hold back this comment and had a hard time to breath under his laughter.

"Okay master. I got it!" Lucario tried to let this embarrassing moment behind him. " Did you get a room for the night?"

Ash remembered what the woman had said and stopped with his laughter, surprising Lucario with his seriousness.

"We won't get a room in this town." Ash started but he was sure that his partner would ask him a lot of questions.

"Why do you think that, master? You just tried one house." Lucario focused his gaze on his master to see if he was joking, but he couldn't see a smile.

"She said that all rooms were occupied by members of the royal army." Ash continued, ´gritting his teeth.

"What should we do now?" Lucario knew that they could find some place to sleep, but it was strange for an army to stay in pensions.

"I don't know. Maybe we have to camp outside the town with Pikachu and Pidgeot." The assassin looked around, searching for an opportunity to get a solution for his problems.

"Okay master. Should I start searching for information about our first target?" Lucario remembered that their first victim would be a man called Butch, but he didn't know much about him.

"NO!" Ash insisted that his Pokémon should stay with him. "We don't know anything about this town and it would be a mistake to go on your own. At first I need a drink after this shock. Come on, let's search for a bar." Ash waved to his Pokémon.

"But master? Shouldn't we start with our mission instead of making us drunk?" Lucario had nothing against a good drink, but it was early afternoon.

"You should know Lucario that I don't go to a bar to drink only. Bars are the perfect spot to get information, because you can chat with different people without being to brash." Ash knew his craft, at least most of the time.

They wandered through the streets in hope to find a bar, but it was hopeless. The only stores they found were a hairdresser, a day care center and a clothing store for female dresses.

"I'll go crazy ." Ash grumbled.

"I know master, but may …. Look master! I think that could be a bar." Lucario pointed to a house that looked like an old western bar, but it was definitely a bar. Although the walls were dilapidated and seamy they could see that its owner still opened the bar. Above the entrance was a big sign with the slogan 'Rock the bar' written on it.

They approached the house and Lucario felt embarrassed by the sign beneath the door. It said 'Cats have free occur. Dogs have to pay 15 Poké!'.

Ash frowned "You aren't a dog, are you? " Ash asked, hoping that his dog-like Pokémon would say no.

"Are you serious, master?" The Aura Pokémon was hurt in his pride. He thought his master would consider him as a human like creature and nota dog.

"You know that I was joking." he laughed at his Pokémon and patted his shoulder. Lucario wasn't fully convinced but shrugged if off and walked to the entrance door.

* * *

Inside the bar, shortly before Ash arrived ….

* * *

"Hey barkeeper! One more round!" A huge man with blond hair shouted across the room towards a very small bar owner.

"Okay, okay fat twerp!" The small creature shouted back and mixed a new Martini for the guest in the corner.

"FAT? Do you want to offend my muscles?" The man was drunk and couldn't control his outburst , but as quick as he became angry he became quiet again. The alcohol seemed to have a special effect on him.

From the door you couldn't see the barkeeper. The only thing that was visible were two hand-like things that searched on the table for the different ingredients of the wanted drink.

After the drink was mixed the barkeeper walked around the counter and walked towards the blond man. The creature was indeed a cat. And this cat had a small golden plate on his forehead, also black ears, yellow fur and curled tail.

"It's about damn time!" The man yelled and snatched the drink away from the keeper, before he drank it with a single sip.

"And what do you think about the bill?" The cat tipped inpatient with his food on the ground, crossing his arms. It looked funny how this small creature tried to confront the nearly seven feet tall giant.

"Write it on my bill! I'll pay next time." The large man let out a huge bur before he started to laugh.

"NO! You'll pay this time!" The small cat Pokémon extended his claws, trying to scare the man in front of him. Unnecessary that this failed big time.

"Do you forget …. hicks ….. Who I am?" The blond man scratched the cat behind his ear, thinking that this would make things better. He was taught something better when the cat scratched his hand in return.

"Ho could I forget?" Meowth said with a voice full of sarcasm. "You told me your story more than hundred times and I'm tired of it. And I think you should say 'Who you were', because you're nothing now."

"Watch your language little kitty." The guest again raised his voice before he fell back to his normal style. "I'm one of the best warriors of this country."

"You mean you were." Meowth corrected him and looked at him with a weird face. " You're a deserter and you know that."

"I'm no traitor!" The former warrior yelled at the barkeeper, who wasn't impressed because he knew that the alcohol spoke for him.

"Why don't you go back and prove it?" Meowth asked with a casual voice, although he knew the whole story of this guest.

"I can't. The king doesn't recognize true warriors." The man started to show his dissatisfaction, but Meowth couldn't listen to this anymore.

"Forget it old twerp! I can't stand your whining anymore. No drinks for you until you pay up." Meowth threatened the man.

Come on! You can't do that to a lieutenant. I was warded with more than twenty medals from king Lance!" He protested and threw the glass against the wall, causing a loud noise.

"You'll wonder what I can do!" Meowth answered with a calm voice, ignoring the rage of surge. "And for your information! It's king Cyrus now. It doesn't matter how much you deny it."

"Fuck king Cyrus! This stupid asshole of a bitch!" The lieutenant continued his rant. Meowth sweat dropped , because he heard this story hundred times.

"I would kill him if I wasn't so loyal to the royal family. Damn it!" Surge crashed his fist onto the table, injuring his hand. But that doesn't matter to him, because deep down he was desperate.

"You have to love him. Do you want to be thrown in jail, because you want to assassinate the king?" Meowth didn't know why but he began to reason with the guest. The reason could be that this was his only 'guest'.

"How can you say that? You hate him as much as I do." Surge leaned back to look straight to the ceiling, straining the chair to the extreme.

"Of course I liked our old king better, but you have to live with the fact that he's gone." Meowth sighed and mixed a new drink for himself.

"Do you remember the good old times Meowth? " The surge didn't know why he talked about that, but he could blame the alcohol for that.

"Yeah …." The cat sighed while taking a sip from his fresh mixed Martini.

"Every evening I and my soldiers came to your bar and played Poker until dawn." Surge started to relive his memories. He grabbed for his glass, but he couldn't get it because it was smashed against a wall.

"Yeah and you drunk more than anybody else and never paid for it. At least not in time." Meowth dropped his glass back onto the bar and placing himself on top of a barstool.

"You always remember the bad parts Meowth!" Surge sounded annoyed.

"And what should I remember? The parts where you smashed the complete equipment of my bar?" The cat answered with a stern voice, knowing that his bar wouldn't existing any longer anyways.

"Okay, that was maybe a bit rude. But at least you had guests back then." Lt. Surge took one of his cigarettes and searched for his matches.

"Right, but the situation becomes worse with the day. You'll have to find a near bar and I doubt that you'll find one like this one here." Meowth tapped on his cash register and it opened with a scraping noise, revealing absolute nothing inside of it.

"Then give me one last drink in memory of the good old times." He raised his hands in an attempt to say 'cheers'.

!No …. more ….. drinks …. for ….. you!" The cat barkeeper explained extra slowly for his guests who didn't get it.

Just in this moment the swinging door swung up and revealed two 'guests'.

Meowth and Surge looked very surprised, because they didn't expect another guest, let alone two guests.

"Can I get a good drink here?"

* * *

**That was chapter one of 'Life in the shadows'. Maybe the most boring chapter yet but it will become better. Not much violence in this one, but I needed to show the city and some problems they have there. **

**Some notes for understanding,**

**- Ash can go through the streets without problems, because he is not 'wanted' at this time**

**- Pikachu cares for Pidgeot during the second half of the chapter**

**- Meowth is not connected with Team Rocket**

**- Lt. Surge is a former lieutenant of the royal army**

**- King Lance was the former king of Hoenn**

**- More characters will be presented in the next chapters**

**Please do not flame.**

**Please review. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter four of Life in the shadows and start of the actual action. This time the assassin creed section of this story will be the focus. This story is rated M for bad language and more violence this time!**

**Disclaimer : I do not own Pokémon or Assassins Creed**

**R&R!**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

"Can I get a good drink here?" The stranger asked randomly into the room without looking at someone.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but this bar will close in a few days and for your information, I don't like strangers!" Meowth spoke with a casual voice and he almost fell asleep while doing so.

The assassin and his partner didn't move one inch before he told the two of them. "I'm sure that you could make an exception for an Aura guardian like me." Ash smirked, but maybe he could get some free drinks. After all Aura guardians were the heroes of the kingdom.

"I don't care if you are an Aura Guardian or even an assassin!" The cat shouted. "Nobody will get a drink, and especially not for free. This fat asshole over there drunk all of my precious bottles with alcohol." The pre-evolution of Persian pointed to the former lieutenant .

"You little brat! I've told you to respect me." Surge took a chair and tossed it into the direction of the bar, but he missed Meowth by miles.

"So, do you have money issues?" Ash approached the bar and was followed by his aura Pokémon.

"It's none of your business, unknown-twerp." The cat crossed his arms before he spotted the second stranger. "HEY! You filthy dog! Pay up or out of my bar!"

Lucario growled and wanted to show this cat something of his mind, but he was stopped by his master. The assassin took a small purse and threw it onto the bar, surprising both Lucario and Meowth.

"This is enough to pay for my 'dog' and something extra!" He emphasized the last word and pushed the money to the cat that looked at it with suspiciousness.

Meowth opened the purse and gasped at the sight of the money and his suspiciousness grew bigger.

"Who are you and what do you want?" The barkeeper started to ask very direct questions, because he wanted to know more about his 'benefactor'.

"My name is none of your business!" Ash mocked Meowth with the same casual voice. "But to answer your second question : I want information about a certain businessman and I'm sure that a barkeeper like you knows more about this city than me."

Meowth hesitated, but money was something that he needed more than his peace at the moment.

"Deal!" Meowth extended his paw for a hand/paw-shake, which Ash accepted with a big smirk. "Who is this man you are talking about and I will tell you everything I knew."

"I look for a man called Butch! I know that he is a successful merchant, but that's all at the moment." Ash took a seat, but at the same time, he received a bewildered look from a former army member.

"You mean this guy who is supposed to become the minister of economic affairs?" The cat was interested and took a stool himself.

"I don't know about that, but I have some unfinished business with him." Ash tried to find the correct words, although he had a conjecture that many citizens had a cruel against the government and his supporters.

"There isn't much that I know, but it's said that he doesn't only trade goods but also Pokémon. However, nobody has proofs for that. " Ash listened carefully to his explanations, but he needed to know more.

"Can you tell me where he is or how can I find him?" The assassin asked with a stern voice.

"I heard that he will meet some novice merchants tomorrow. Usually there meetings are near the market square, but only merchants are allowed to attend the meeting." The barkeeper told the stranger everything he knew about this person.

"I think that shouldn't be a problem." Ash suppressed a smirk and was satisfied with the information. "Can you give e a certain time?"

"Most of their meetings happen shortly after midday." Meowth finished his statement and took one wine bottle from under the bar and pour it into two glasses.

"I thought that guest there drank all of your drinks?" Ash asked, but took the drink without hesitation.

"A barkeeper like me needs some drinks for himself, but with your money I can buy a lot of new bottles." Meowth explained and Ash saw his opportunity there.

"You know? I have much more money like that and who knows? Maybe I need your help in the future." The assassin seemingly found a contact person for himself.

Ash jingled with his gold coins and the noise was like music for the cat-like Pokémon.

"It would be an honor to help you again, sir." Meowth bowed. Maybe his bar had a future with a patron like this man. "But I think Surge will drink everything without paying for it. And even if I don't give him drinks he will destroy my bar." Meowth sighed and threw death glares to the former lieutenant.

"Maybe I can solve that problem for you!" Ash said and before Meowth could answer or respond the assassin already walked to the blond man.

His action left Meowth and Lucario dumbfounded and for a short second they looked at each other before they turned away and crossed their arms. Meowth seemed to have a past with dogs or dog-like Pokémon and Lucario couldn't stand this pseudo barkeeper in front of him.

Ash approached the small table of the man and took a seat across from him and looked at this wreck of a man.

"Meowth said that you don't pay your bills." Ash said in a matter-of-fact-way. "Haven't you money?"

"Are you kidding? Of course, I have money! I'm a lieutenant." He yelled at the unwelcome stranger.

'Former lieutenant' said some voice in the back.

"Why don't you pay for your bills and everybody is happy." The assassin tried to intimidate a man that was over a feet taller than him.

"I have saved this kingdom more often than anybody else and I deserve some free drinks." He defended himself and patted his chest as a sign of his superiority.

"Do you think Meowth could buy anything without money?" Ash said. 'It seems that this guy has too much self confidence' the assassin thought.

"He should be honored to have a guest like me!" There was no way that Ash could convince him with his words, but maybe he would listen to some bet.

"I bet that I can defeat you in an arm wrestling match!" The assassin suggested and surprised everyone in the room, making them laugh with the exception of Lucario.

"You little cockroach really think that you could beat my strength? " Surges almost vomit, because his laughter irritated his stomach and in combination with all the alcohol, it wasn't easy for him to keep his face color.

"Of course I do!" Ash stated proudly and threw another purse onto the table. "If I win I will pay all of your bills and everything that you drink for now on, but if I win you'll pay all of your liabilities and help Meowth with some renovations of this bar."

The last bit of information surprised even Meowth. His look reflected his emotions, because it was splat like him.

Surge didn't think much about it. He only saw the possibility of getting as much alcohol as he wanted.

"Deal!" Surge accepted the bet and made himself ready for the contest. Lucario didn't know if his master was insane, but he liked the part of him that wanted to help this cat.

Ash knew that the odds were against him, but he also knew that he possesses some unique powers. He rested his right arm on the table and waited for the start of this unequal duel.

Surge grabbed the hand of his opponent and almost crushed it with his power, but the assassin didn't show any sign of retreat.

"Meowth? You can decide when it should start!" Ash shouted to the barkeeper, hoping to hid the pain in his voice that he received by the grip.

"Okay." Meowth said and raised his paw as a sign of the beginning. "Get ready!" Surge smirked and rested his head on his free hand. "Ready?" The former lieutenant was satisfied that his foe was in pain, but it wouldn't last long. "Get going!" Meowth shouted and lowered his paw, although no one was looking to him.

Ash immediately went onto attack and pressed with all of his power, but surge's hand didn't move one inch. It seemed that the lieutenant didn't even try to make short work of his competitor. The assassin now used all of his body weight to press harder, but the result remained the same.

"Have you already started?" Surge mocked his younger opponent and started to press into the opposite direction. Ash's lose got closer with the second, but he remained focused.

After thirty seconds, Ash's hand was only two inches above the table and Lucario couldn't look at this. His master would be defeated with ease, but it was foreseeable.

Surge tried to seal the victory, but for some reason he couldn't push the hand of his foe onto the table.

"What the hell?" Surge cursed because he used all of his power and couldn't beat the last few inches. It was as if he reached the table already but there was still air between the hands and the wood. The weirdest thing was that the 'handshake' moved into the other direction.

Lucario and Meowth couldn't believe their eyes, but Ash's hand moved inch for inch closer to victory. After some seconds, it was Ash who won the fight, but nobody realized that his eyes were blue instead of brown for a short period. Lucario sensed some movement in his master's aura, but he couldn't think about that possibility.

"So I won!" Ash simply stated and motioned to his Lucario to follow him to the outside. Both of them left the bar and left a dumbfounded Surge and a grinning Meowth behind them.

Surge stood up and walked towards the bar to confront the barkeeper. The cat feared the worst and extended his claws for the worst case. For his surprise Surge throw some money onto the table and admitted defeat.

"I didn't know how he could defeat me but I keep my bets and promises." The lieutenant seemed to be completely unaffected by the alcohol. The assassin had brought him back to earth and reality.

"It had been a while that I saw someone that could overcome the odds." Surge smirked and sat on a chair.

"Come on big guy! We have a lot to do." Meowth looked around and thought about some 'renovations'.

Surge grumbled like never before.

* * *

Back with Ash and Lucario

* * *

The hooded man and his partner emerged from the bar and walked towards the gates. After all, they had to wait until tomorrow before they can start with their mission.

"Tell me master! You used your aura to defeat him." The aura Pokémon blamed his master.

"That's right Lucario, but it was my aura and so I won without interference." He defended himself and landed a small punch on Lucario's shoulder.

"I think that's okay." Lucario responded and rubbed the spot that fell victim to his master's behavior.

"At least we have our information source." Ash stated. Suddenly he was rammed by a male who seemed to be in hurry. The man however didn't apologized and ran straight away without waste a second look to the assassin.

"What an asshole!" Ash cursed, before he realized that he missed something. "Where the hell is my purse?" He searched on his belt for the last money that he should still have, but it was gone.

"This little fucker stole my last money!" Ash growled and looked into the direction where the thief ran off. Lucario was ashamed that he didn't notice the rob.

"He won't come away with that." The assassin shouted and started the chase. Lucario tried to keep on with his master's speed but it was very difficult.

Lucario closed his eyes and used his aura sense to avoid oncoming people while Ash used his agility to do the same.

* * *

At the public girls school

* * *

"I thought this subject would last forever." Dawn sighed and left the school in high speed. May, for some reason, was calm and emerged with calm.

"You are exaggerating, Dawn!" May responded. "School is the good part of the day you know."

"We have a lot in common May, but that is one thing that isn't!" Dawn giggled and waited for May, who was walking slowly behind her.

"Okay Dawn, but can we now get Eevee and took her to the forest?" The brunette smiled and jumped up and down in joy. Miraculously she had breakfast this morning, because Giovanni had a very good mood. Something that was really rare to May, but she ate as much as she could eat.

"At first we have to pick Eevee up. She should still be at my house, but it was still a miracle that my parents actually allowed me to keep her as long as I collect some berries for her." Dawn was in deep thought, but May snapped her out of it.

"Uh Dawn? Are you sure that Eevee is at your home?" May asked.

"Of course she is! Don't you trust me May? I would never loose her and especially not after I have been through." Dawn stated with closed eyes, showing her confidence.

"And what is that then?" The brown-haired girl pointed to a brown fox that had the same appearance as the Eevee they found yesterday.

"I think ….. Another Eevee." Dawn replied but her statement appeared to be wrong after the Eevee jumped into the arms of May.

"I'm happy to see you again, too." Eevee rubbed her cheek against May's and cooed with pleasure. The little run away seemed maintained since yesterday.

"Dawn? Did you give her a makeover?" May noticed that the fox' fur was smooth and soft. Se also smelled like flowers and every dirt was removed from her body.

"I don't know what you are talking about." Dawn looked somewhere into the sky and whistled in a fake manner.

"It's great Dawn. I think Eevee likes it too." The fox nodded and Dawn let out a sigh of relief, because she knew that sometimes she lost control of her fashion style.

"Thank you May, but let's go to the forest. Do you want to use the main gate to leave the town?" Dawn asked her best friend and looked over to the north.

Today Dawn wore an old brown blouse and a knee-long skirt, but she tried everything too keep it clean. She wouldn't forgive herself if a boy turned her down because of her clothes. May wore similar clothes but her blouse didn't have sleeves like the one of Dawn.

"Main gate sounds good. Let's go, before it's getting dark." May almost ran to the west gate of the town and Dawn followed her without hesitation. Dawn knew this city like her vest pocket and there was no shortcut that she hadn't find yet.

It took only a few minutes until they reached the city centre, which marked the half of their way. May already crossed the market place, but Dawn wasn't so athletic. She stopped for a few seconds to breathe, but was interrupted by some stranger who elbowed her out of his way.

"Watch where you are going!" She shouted and turned around to see a hooded man. She needed some seconds before she noticed that the lout was chasing another person. Before Dawn could come up with an explanation she was interrupted a second time, however she wasn't elbowed but frightened by a blue and black creature this time. This being had his eyes closed and seemed to follow the two running individuals.

"What the hell happened?" Dawn scratched the back of her head and sighed, because she lost track of May. However, she knew where her friend was going and that was enough to follow the original path.

"Dawn?" The blunette could hear that someone shouted her name and was relieved to see that it was May. The brunette stopped after Eevee reminded her that the other girl was out of sight.

"Thank Arceus." Dawn said and approached the two.

"I thought you were behind me Dawn?" May asked the puzzled girl who was still confused about the chase in the middle of the city.

"I wanted to breathe because you ran like a maniac, but I was pushed to the side by some stranger who chased someone. And after that a weird creature appeared and followed them as well." Her explanation was simple but May wouldn't believe that.

"Ah Dawn. I think that you just need some fresh air. Come on, we're almost at the gate." May grabbed Dawn's hand and pulled her the remaining way to the forest.

Once they were out of the town Eevee jumped to the ground and sniffed the fresh air.

"It was a good idea to came here. Eevee looks very happy to see the nature." May smiled and Dawn joined her. Eevee jumped around and played with some insects, but she would be happier if she had a playmate.

May and Dawn sat on a rock and looked at the various people that visited or left their town. They were amazed by the merchants and adventurer that visited Petalburg, but it was the home of the royal family after all.

Something, however, captured their fully attention. It was a coach and the Rapidashs that pulled the carriage seemed to be different to the normal ones. Their was no way to see what was inside the carriage and three armed guardians made it impossible to approach it.

"What or who could that be?" Dawn asked as the carriage entered the city and vanished between the crowd.

"I don't know Dawn. The royal family haven't left the city for six months and I haven't heard anything about a loyal visitor." May replied before she turned around to look for her pet Pokémon.

"Where's Eevee?" May asked puzzled, but at the same moment, she started to panic. Dawn turned around to help her friend, but Eevee wasn't near them and they began to search a bigger area.

May was desperate. She couldn't care two hours for a pet and nevertheless she already dreamed in nights about having an own family. She would be a terrible mother and tears started to build up in her eyes, rolling down her cheeks.

"MAY! I found Eevee!" Dawn yelled.

"Where is she?" May answered and ran to Dawn in hope to find Eevee in her arms. However, Dawn carried nothing, but instead pointed to the edge of the woods.

"Over there!" Dawn shouted and sprinted to the place where Eevee stood. The fox Pokémon seemed to sense something and the curious and small Pokémon entered the forest without hesitation.

"NO EEVEE! WAIT!" The fear to lose her Pokémon made May incredible fast, but she couldn't reach the fox before it vanished between the bushes.

May pulled on her hair to show the frustration. They had to find the needle in the notorious haycock, but at least Eevee's fur had a different color than the forest.

"Come on Dawn!" May pulled Dawn into the forest. Dawn was everything but happy about that.

"Calm down May! I'm sure that Eevee is fine." Dawn exclaimed and freed herself from the grip of May. The brunette however didn't calm down and devastated the half the forest.

May almost lost hope, but then she heard the familiar voice of the fox Pokémon. The small runaway hid in the last part of the forest that May didn't ruin.

"I will give her a piece of my mind!" May stomped into the direction of the noise, but the noise consisted of two voices. One of them was definitely Eevee's but the other one belonged to another Pokémon.

The Maple girl approached the spot and saw the troublemaker alongside a yellow Pokémon. The evolution Pokémon seemed to follow the electric-type in circles, but May wasn't sure why.

"EEVEE! What did you think when you ran off like that?" The brunette screamed like a mother who found her child in a large crowd after hours of desperate search.

The fox Pokémon heard that voice and stopped immediately before looking to May. With an attempt to look extremely cute and adorable Eevee approached her 'mum'.

May crossed her arms and tipped with her foot on the ground, awaiting an answer.

Eevee was rescued by the emerging Dawn who seemed really exhausted and her hair was a mess. She looked through every bush, but at the same time, she collected unintentionally a lot of leaves and twigs with her hair.

"MAY! Thanks to you I look like an Oddish." She yelled to the snickering May, who hold back her laughter. It was priceless to see Dawn with such crazy hair.

Eevee used the opportunity to chase the yellow rodent again and surprised Pikachu with a sudden Bodycheck attack. The electro-type initially felt exhausted to the ground after he was chased through the whole forest and hoped that this girl with brown hair would take this pest with her.

Pikachu thought about the possibility to shock this Eevee with a thunderbolt, but his 'master' didn't allow him to attack non-guardians or the Pokémon of non-guardians.

Dawn and May quickly finished their argument when they saw their adopted Pokémon with another. Both girls walked to the scene and watched the Pokémon almost making out.

Pikachu was saved by a whirlwind that his friend Pidgeot caused. Eevee flew straight into the arms of May who tipped backwards.

Pikachu ran up to a tree to align himself with the bird. The bird and the mouse had a short talk, ending with a snickering Pidgeot.

Dawn helped her fallen friend to her feet and looked to the two unknown Pokémon. May needed some seconds to concentrate and hold Eevee tightly in her arms, not allowing her to run off again.

"Wait a moment!" May demanded and looked to the yellow creature. "Sweet! That's a Pikachu, Dawn. A Pikachu! I always wanted to see one. I can't believe it!" The brunette squealed, almost crushing her last squealing-reason between her arms.

"Boy, May! You shouldn't scream like that!" Dawn hold her ears closed to resist the loud noise.

Pikachu and Pidgeot sweatdropped, because their 'master' told them about 'girls' and their weird characteristics.

"Can we keep the …" Before May could finish this familiar sentence, Dawn put her whole hand over her friend's mouth to stop it.

"Forget it May! And besides, I think these Pokémon already have an owner." Dawn didn't know that she destroyed her friends wishes with every single word she said. May always wanted an Pikachu or at least she wanted a boyfriend who owed a Pikachu.

"Why do you think that?" May was pissed off and puffed up her cheeks, mimicking a rodent. The brunette was again in a huff.

Pidgeot couldn't hold himself and laughed, because May's performance as a rodent and the mouse next to him was too much for the bird.

"Look at the bird! He wears some kind of bag on his back and I don't think that Pidgeot belongs to the category of thieving magpie. "Dawn pointed to the backpack that was on the back of the bird.

"To bad …." May was down again, but the Eevee between her arms yelled something to the rodent. Her words seemed to frighten the electro-type who immediately turned pale. Pikachu looked straight to the evolution Pokémon, although he didn't want to but something prevent him to look away.

The yellow rodent had seen everything in his life, but the sight of this Eevee sent shivers through his small body. And after the words of this, Pokémon Pikachu was scared, leaving him with some sort of a trauma.

Eevee then winked at him, making Pikachu faint. Pidgeot immediately stopped laughing and feared the worst for his friend. He took the yellow rodent and flew away from the scenario.

"What - was - that - ?" Dawn was confused and looked at May, but she didn't have a clue either. Their thoughts were interrupted by a whining Eevee who looked after the two fleeing Pokémon.

"Eevee? How often did I tell you that you shouldn't scary other Pokémon?" May asked the troublemaker, but above the fox' head appeared a question mark.

"May? You have never told Eevee anything about things that she shouldn't do!" Dawn defended the fox, earning a slap to the back of the head from May.

"Ouch …. Why did you do that?" Dawn protested and rubbed her head. After a leaf fall off her head, she noticed that her hair was still a mess.

"DAWN? WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" May yelled. She was almost thrown out of the forest by Dawn. The blunette grabbed May by the wrist and pulled her to the city.

"I have to fix my hair immediately!" Dawn stated and placed May in front of her. She tried everything to prevent anyone to see her, using her friend as a human shield.

The brunette couldn't fend her off and was pushed to Dawn's house.

Eevee's thoughts were still with the yellow rodent and every time the fox imagined his face in her mind, she blushed. Her red cheeks however were unnoticed by her human friends.

* * *

Back to the chase

* * *

"Damn it! He's really fast." Ash admitted and tried to close the distance between him and the thief. The assassin elbowed his way through the crowd and even pushed a blue haired teenage girl to the side, however he didn't have the time to think about this.

His trusty aura Pokémon had no problem to pass this obstacle course consisting of people.

The hooded bandit looked occasionally over his shoulder to spot his follower and he jumped that he couldn't shake this stranger off yet.

Ash could reduce the distance between them, but the thief still had some tricks in his repertoire. The unknown stranger pushed some barrels to the ground, hoping to come away with his rob.

The Masyaf native realized that he would win nothing if he followed him that way, but it could cost him his money.

Ash looked to the side and spotted a perfect spot to leave this crowded road. He stepped to the side and used a box to jump onto a market stall. After that, the assassin could use a Parkour sequence, using a wooden sign of a restaurant to reach a higher spot. From this point, he could reach the balcony of a noble house and normally it would be enough to climb the roof of a normal house but these buildings were higher than anything that this assassin climbed so far.

"It's a big challenge, even for me. Where is he?" Ash feared that he lost the man, but he caught the sight of the thief who crossed a street that let to a darker district of the town.

The assassin looked to the back and saw his Lucario, sprinting through the masses with his aura ability. The blue Pokémon stopped when he heard his master shouted to him.

"Lucario! Follow him on the streets and I will chase him from the roofs." Ash didn't even wait for Lucarios respond when he turned away and jumped off the balcony.

The steel-type continued the chase and closed his eyes again, following the stranger into the dark parts of the city.

Ash held onto the ledge of a window and pulled himself up, standing on that said ledge. After that, he aimed for a small notch inside the wall, seizing the possibility to reach the next window with it. With that, he climbed three floors before he saw the eaves above him.

The next move of him was a dangerous one and it cost the life of an inexperienced. Ash leaned slightly backwards and jumped up, grabbing for the eave of the roof.

The houses within the noble district were of robust construction and resisted the most kinds of loads. Ash hung there without ground-contact and used all of his strength to pull himself up to the top of the building.

After he stood up the assassin sighed in relief and panted heavily, because he had never climbed large buildings like that before. He didn't need to think about the distance between the houses, because their was no way that there could be a free spot in the noble part of the town.

However, there was another problem and the assassin knew that he would have to deal with the guardians on top of the houses and towers.

"Okay, let's go!" Ash ran to the next house and jumped over the gap between the houses. It was a great jump but his landing could be better. One of the tile was kicked from the roof when the assassin landed there.

"Oh shit!" Ash thought, hoping that the tile wouldn't land on top a guardian. However, there wasn't any respond and Ash could continue his chase.

The wind blew a lot of dust into the face of the running assassin and almost killed him when he didn't spot a gap, almost falling of the house. The experienced assassin however could grab the eave of the opposite house and swung into the window beneath it. The crashing noise startled the residents, who were looking for the cause of the trouble.

The shatterproof glass were everywhere, but Ash didn't get the time to recover from this unintentional break-in. It took only a few seconds before the father of the family rushed into the room, expecting a thief. Ash realized that he was in the kitchen of the house. The man in front of him took a kitchen knife and aimed for the unwelcome visitor.

The assassin used his agility to dodge the attack before he rushed out of the room, crossing the corridor. He spotted a woman with two children, knowing that the father would protect his family. The next room he entered were the living room and Ash saw a window, noticing the next house was one floor smaller than this one.

He increased his speed and shielded his head with his arms, preparing for the oncoming impact. The window caved in with the greatest of ease, slowing the assassin slightly down.

Ash crossed the distance of the two houses and landed stylishly on the roof. He didn't waste a second look to the house that he ruined, but he could hear the curse of the man that chased him a few seconds ago.

This reminded Ash that he actually chased someone and so he approached the house edge and looked into the crowded streets. No trace of the thief and Ash almost cried before he spotted the familiar two-colored Pokémon on the road.

The aura Pokémon still chased the runaway and used the aura ability to hang on. His master was thankful for his Pokémon and turned into the direction his Pokémon were running. The next few houses were no problem for the assassin but he spotted a patrolling guardian on the next house.

The six-foot tall man looked into the space between the two houses, allowing Ash to approach him without problems. The next thing the assassin had to decide were the fact how he should eliminate the man.

The assassin chose the traditional style and extended his hidden blade before he pierced the neck of the guardian, leaving him motionless on the roof. Ash had no time to hid the body and jumped to the next roof.

He decided to ran along the edge to have a good view over the street. The crowd vanished the more the thief ran into the abandoned district. This fact was a two sided one, because Ash could spot the thief easier but the thief could also increase his speed.

Gradually Ash got used to the sequence of jumping and running, allowing him to increase his own speed.

Occasionally Ash had to kill a guardian, using either his hidden blade or a throwing knife but he had never problems with one of them. It seemed that the guards hadn't any opponents in the last time.

After over a minute Ash spotted 'his' thief in a small alley beneath him and decided to follow him without attacking him. The robber turned around, looking for his chaser. After he was convinced that he had shaken him off he run straight into one direction.

The advantage of these alleys were the crossbars that connected the houses and allowed the assassin to be above his victim at any time.

The atmosphere darkened and Ash couldn't spot another person than the one under him and he wondered if his Lucario was still behind him.

The thief reached a large free plaza and slowed down. Ash followed the route with his eyes and looked at a big dilapidated house. Instead of following the man, Ash decided to wait on top of the house that was the closest to the plaza and watched as the thief approached the front door.

The distance between them was large and Ash couldn't tell what happened next but he noticed that the hooded man knocked on the door three times before it opened, letting him in before, it closed again.

For minutes, there was only silence and Ash already sat on the edge of the roof, awaiting the arrival of his Pokémon. Lucario sprinted out of the alley onto the plaza and was about to approach the house, but he was interrupted by a loud whistle.

The aura Pokémon looked up and saw his master who motioned him to come to him. Lucario jumped to the roof and sat next to his master who was deep in thought about something.

"Did you have a chance to eliminate him, master?" The aura Pokémon started with a question that didn't shock Ash at all.

"Oh yeah, I had a chance but I decided to watch him instead." Ash explained and pulled down his hood, revealing his sweat-bathed face. It was a pleasure for him to feel the cold wind on his face, but it also showed great concern.

"What do you have in mind, master?" Lucario got interested in this change of events, but he hoped that the next plan of his master wouldn't backfire like the last one at the border.

"I think that 'our' thief is part of a guild and the house there is their hideout." Ash finished his statement and pointed to the ruin across the plaza.

"And what do you want to do with them master?" Lucario didn't know what his master's plan would be.

"We found our accommodation!" The smirk on the assassin' face grew bigger and he played with one of his throwing knifes.

"Are you sure master?" The aura Pokémon questioned, looking rather uncomfortable with that idea. "This house is a ruin and these thieves could be a big threat master."

"Come on Lucario!" Ash stood up and extended his blade again. "This place would be a perfect refuge after our first assassination. And besides it would help the people in this town with their thieve problem."

At first Lucario wanted to complain but he decided against it. It took some seconds before he realized that his master actually wanted to do something for the population of a town.

"Okay, master! We'll do it your way!" Lucario bowed and prepared himself for the attack on a guild.

"There is …. "Ash hesitated but he thought that Lucario should know the reason that he had a cruel against thieves. "There is another reason for this assault."

Lucario nodded and turned to his master again, hoping that Ash would open up for him.

"You know that I don't like to talk about my past, but there was a time in my life when my hometown was invade by thieves. They destroyed everything and took very important parts of my life away that you can't replace." Ash pulled his hood up again, covering his sad face.

Lucario knew that it wasn't appropriate to ask his master more about it. He approached him and patted him on his back, before he gave him a smile.

Then the unthinkable happened and Ash kneeled down, hugging his longtime partner. This took the aura Pokémon by surprise but he welcomed the embrace.

"We should wait until sunset, Lucario!" Ash changed the topic. "I want to see if there are more of them until we attack them. We could need the time to come up with a plan."

"Your wish is my command, master." Lucario answered and sat down again, enjoying the rest they got.

"Tell me Lucario. How many?" Ash asked but refused to look to his Pokémon.

The Pokémon immediately knew what his master wanted and closed his eyes, concentrating his aura. The whole area seemed to be empty with the exception of the house on the plaza, but Lucario couldn't tell whether there are Pokémon or not.

"I sense the aura of ten different people and nobody has the aura-level from you or me." Lucario always told his master about the aura-level of their opponents.

"Ten? A small guild in my opinion, but we should still wait for the sunset." Ash leaned himself on his back, admiring the sun.

"Do you mind if I take a nap, Lucario?" Ash thought it would be a good idea to be refreshed after the chase that cost him a lot of his stamina.

"No problem, master. I will wait and see if there are any other thieves." Lucario sat down and hung his legs over the edge of the roof.

"Okay Lucario. Wake me up in three hours or so." Ash pulled his hood deep down his face and crossed his arms behind his head. After some seconds, he was overcome by sleep.

* * *

Three hours later, same location

* * *

The sunset was almost over and the city was covered in a red color, making it hard to find any blood. Lucario finished his scout duty and turned to his sleeping master who should rested enough.

"Master?" Lucario shook his master slightly, hoping to wake him up without much trouble. "It's time to get things going!"

Ash slowly opened his eyes and spotted his partner, but he didn't need any explanation. The assassin immediately stood up and checked his weapons.

"Were there any new victims?" Ash needed one last information before he intended to start this invasion on a guilt.

"During your sleep two more people entered the house, master." The steel and fighting type described the two strangers and it was clear that both of them were part of the guilt as well.

"That makes a total of twelve targets." Ash never liked mathematics but he could put two and two together, but in this case, it was ten and two.

Lucario nodded in agreement before both killers jumped off the house and crossed the plaza. They noticed that the thieves lit a lot of candles, making it rather easy to watch into the house.

"Are you ready Lucario?" Ash asked a rhetoric question, but it loosened the tension.

"As I'll ever be!" The blue Pokémon already focused his aura.

* * *

Inside the quarter, moments before the 'invasion' ….

* * *

"Do you accept the conditions?" A middle-aged man asked.

"I'll repeat your conditions to be sure about that!" A hooded man with a dark voice answered. His face was almost covered by the large hood and even the candlelight's couldn't light it up.

"You want that we set the public girls school on fire? But in the end it's only a diversionary tactic?" He continued the repeat.

"That shouldn't be a problem, should it?" The unknown man with his garment asked, sounding like a war veteran.

"It shouldn't but you'll give us the money immediately!" The thieve who seemed to be the leader of the guild snapped and stretched his hand in the front of him.

The mysterious negotiating partner threw a large packet with gold on the table. According to the sound, that the package made it had to be a lot of gold, but the leader wanted to assure himself.

The hooded man opened the packet and his eyes begun to sparkle like diamonds. He closed it again and pocketed it into his own pocket.

"This school will burn!" He smirked, breaking out into laughter and it didn't take long until his fellow thieves joined him. "Drinks for all of us!" He demanded.

"I'm glad that we have the same opinion on this!" The non-thief stood up and made himself ready to leave.

"Don't you want to join for a party?" The leadership of the guild asked.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you but I still have business decisions to make!" He said. After that, he adjusted his garments and left the house, using the back door.

"That was easy money!" The leader couldn't stop laughing. "Hey Geraldo! Go to the outhouse and pick up one of those beer barrels that we stole today!" He ordered and pushed the youngest of their guild to the door.

"Always me!" The young man protested. "But I will get the first drink!" He joked and opened the front door, feeling some kind of shiver that went through his body.

He could only made one-step before he felt a sling around his neck, cutting his air off. Within the next second, he was lifted to the roof of the house before a sharp blade riddled his shirt and chest. The blade directly hit the heart, cutting it in half. Soon he was the first victim of a mass murders.

"Where is this lazy brat?" The leader became inpatient. He wanted his drink and the newcomer needed unusual long for the small errand.

"Hey Mario! Look for him and give him a beating!" The leader put his legs on the table, resting them in the process. Mario was the largest ones of the thieves and he was the one who was responsible for any kind of punishment within the guild.

"Okay boss, but I can't guarantee that he'll survive it!" At that comment, the leader could only smirk.

The large man opened the door and looked for the dwarf of their guild. Small drops of blood dropped onto his nose and he looked up to the roof, however he didn't spot anything.

The punisher got suspicious and drew his sword in preparation for an upcoming fight. He walked along the house wall and stopped in front of a large window.

"Looked what Mario is doing!" The leader in the house pointed to the large man outside the house and laughed because it seemed that the 'punisher' had problems to punish the dwarf.

The rest of the guild joined their boss in his laughter and shouted some ridiculous things to the man, ignoring the fact that he couldn't hear them.

Mario got crazy because he knew that someone was here but it was too dark to spot anything.

"Hey Geraldo, you stupid piece of shit! Where are you?" He hoped that the young man would come out of his hiding place, so he could give him his punishment.

The next thing that hit him was a combination of a blue energy ball and an arrow. Both of these attacks hit his chest, crushing his eternal organs. The combined power of the attack forced the large man to flew backwards through the window.

All of the thieves jumped when the nearly 300-pound man flew into the room and landed on the table of their leader, crushing it with ease.

"What the hell Mario! What are you …" The small, visible part of the face of the leader turned pale. The man in front of him, who should be the unstoppable force of their organization, was dead.

The leader clenched his fists and turned to the broken window, but all he could see was the darkness of the night.

"WHO WAS THAT?" He shouted desperately to the outside.

The only thing they heard was a dark, deep voice but nobody could see the person that it belonged too. The words of the voice sent shiver through every body inside the house.

"I'm your biggest nightmare …"

* * *

**End of chapter four! I hope you like it and I'm sure that you hate me for this cliffhanger but it was necessary. I'm not mean or anything but with the trend of the last chapters I would receive zero reviews for this one. **

**Some things for understanding:**

**- May and Dawn's clothes were medieval and maybe you could use Cinderella's old clothes as a comparison **

**- Maybe you wonder what Eevee shouted to Pikachu but I'll reveal that later**

**- Ash visited the noble district and the abandoned district so far**

**- The negotiating partner was someone who you should know from the first chapter**

**Please review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**And here is chapter 5 already! The action will increase with every chapter, but I'll always put a small summary at the end of the story. The story is rated M for blood, violence and bad language. **

**Special thanks to ****BLACK SUMMERSUNS 88****, ****Richy1991**** and ****Name under Construction ****for multiple reviewing. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or Assassins Creed**

**R&R!**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

No one of the thieves knew who that mysterious stranger could be, but everybody knew that this person was nobody from the royal army. Since king Cyrus became king all of the soldiers, all of them became weak and fearful and the king never had a cruel against the guilds of the city anyways.

The leader of the thieves, with the codename Il Lupo, immediately ordered his underlings to go to their positions. "Everyone! Kill this dirty swine right now!"

The first one of the thieves, the bravest of them, approached the broken window with a mace, hoping to cut the head of the invader off.

He looked over his shoulder to assure himself that his fellow men backed him up and grinned that some of them even had some of those newfangled guns. He new that the attacker wouldn't expect them to have this kind of weapon, because they stole them a week ago from a royal goods delivery.

The man with the mace, called José, stepped on the ledge of the broken window, making a clattering noise when he crushed the shattered glass.

This seemed to be the sign that the invader had waited for and he threw a throwing knife, but he didn't aim an important part of the man's body.

The knife had such a force that it pierced the right foot of the man and nailed it on the window ledge. José screamed in pain and let loose of his mace, trying to remove the damn knife.

He rested his left hand on the window frame before he took the knife by the hand. Before he could do his first try to remove the sharp object, a second knife pierced his left hand on the frame of the window. All of the other thieves looked in horror when they saw the deadly precision of the still unknown man.

José had enough and pleaded his mates for help, fearing for his life. They hesitated but three of them decided to help him eventually. They approached their immobilized friend with great caution, because nobody wanted to end like him.

Before they could reach him, however, they saw that a long metal weapon reached out of his back. It was covered in blood and was twisted in different directions, freeing more blood from the body. The screams of José died away when he fell on the ledge in a rather strange position, still being pierced by the two knifes.

The three men who wanted to help him stepped back, shocked by the brutality. Seconds later the sword was pulled out of the cold body and vanished in the shadows.

"Your miserable coward!" Il Lupo screamed and became angry, because it was obvious that someone was playing with them. "Come out and show yourself!"

Again, they heard that cold voice, but nobody could tell from which point it came. After some chuckles, the voice again began to speak some short messages.

"Nothing is true!" Il Lupo remembered something, but he couldn't believe that this could be real. His thoughts were interrupted again when the voice continued. "Everything is permitted."

Il Lupo stepped back and surprised his underlings, because it was rare that their leader backed down from an opponent. Their leader frowned, fearing to ask a question that was on his mind.

"Are - are you ….. An assassin?" The wolf hesitated to end the question, but he needed to know if it could be true. All of his men stared at him in disbelief because there shouldn't be any assassins in Petalburg anymore.

"Oh!" The assassin replied with a slight amazement in his voice. "I didn't know that we were such famous." His statement was followed by a small chuckle but it didn't belong to that same voice, shocking the rest of the thieves all the more.

"We?!" Il Lupo asked in disbelief before he raised his voice. "You're lying!" Il lupo didn't know whom he wanted to convince with that, either himself or the man.

"You can believe it or not. It doesn't matter after you're dead!" The dark man began to make fun of these cowards when he started to walk in front of the window. The noises of his steps came closer and for a short time, the thieves could see a blurred silhouette that slipped past the window.

"You can't be an assassin!" The wolf took up the topic again. "Every assassin in this city was killed by King Cyrus' special force!" This statement caught the attention of Ash and Lucario.

"This city had a brotherhood?" Ash asked with a curious voice and sharpened his sword on the house wall, staining the wall with some blood.

"Yes, it HAD!" Il Lupo emphasized the last word. "Does that mean that you aren't part of it?" The thief leader heard of other brotherhoods but he always thought that they wouldn't come to this city.

"This could surprise you, but I'm not even from this kingdom." Originally, Ash wanted to end this quick, but now he could get some important information.

"WHAT?" Lupo exclaimed in shock. "Why should a brotherhood this far away sent an assassin to eliminate our guild?"

"To be honest, it's not my mission to kill anyone of you, but I need a hideout and I like yours. I have to admit that I'm a terrible flat mate and so you have to go!" Ash leaned against the house wall and enjoyed the moment. He could finally scare these thieves as if they had scared him when he was a child.

"You want our house?" The wolf clenched his fists and he became more determined to kill this idiot of an assassin. "I have to give credit to you! You surprised us, but now we will kill you and whoever is with you!" The guild leader got his confidence back and drew his sword.

"You want to fight? That's good because I wanted to take out all of you even if you surrendered." Ash motioned to his Pokémon to get ready for the second stage of their plan.

Il Lupo wanted to reply but a shadow silenced his words. The silhouette ran from the left side to the right and one of the thieves; encouraged by the words of his leader, dashed to the window and stack out his head and watched a blue creature. He wanted to hit him with his sword, but he was grabbed by the head.

Ash had waited on the left side of the corner and grabbed the head of the man as soon as he spotted it. The assassin twisted it and held it across his shoulder. The man and he were now in a back-to-back position before Ash pulled it down with full force, breaking the thieves' neck with an awful voice.

The body fell back into the lighted room, bumping onto the crowd. Four of the men were dead and lay near or on the window.

"Who's next?" Ash said with a mocking voice. Lucario feared that his master could loose his focus, hearing the words of master Oak in his head the night before they left.

Seven men were left and no one had the wish to be the next one. They decided to stay together in the centre of the room, thinking that the assassin couldn't get them all at the same time.

Ash stayed quiet and took his bow again, because he knew that he had to separate them. What Ash couldn't see or hear was Il Lupo whispering something to one of his allies. This particular person dashed upstairs, hoping to eliminate the unwelcome guest this way.

Twenty feet away Ash stretched his bow and aimed for his next victim, but he underestimated the thieves. Il Lupo, aware of the danger, immediately extinguished all of the candlelights. Now there eyes could be adapted to the darkness and enabled their opponent to use the darkness as his ally.

It took some seconds and all of the thieves expected to see Ash in front of the window, but their plan had a big disadvantage. For nearly a minute they couldn't see anything, whether it was outside or inside the house.

Il Lupo hid himself between four of his men, but after five seconds already, they heard a dump noise. It was followed by two noises that sounded exact the same way.

After the fourth bump noise Il lupo's eyes could see in the darkness, but he wished that his eyes were lying. Inside the room were four men down, not moving at all.

One of them had a cutthroat, another one had a huge stab wound on his chest and the last two were heavily bleeding in their kidney-area. Blood was everywhere.

'Fuck' the wolf muttered. The two men next to him were shocked as well and looked in every direction with all the nervousness of the world.

His plan backfired big time. He allowed the assassin to use the shadows inside of the house for a short time and killed half of the remaining men in quick fashion.

"So, only three left? How disappointing!" The voice belonged to a man that sat on a chair behind the three thieves. The leader gulped big time when he saw the familiar white cloak and the hood.

One of the two underlings, out of his mind, dashed towards the sitting men but was stopped by a blue and black Pokémon. Lucario used a 'close combat'- move to throw the man through a wall, damaging the house much to the grievance of his master.

Now it was two against two, but the advantage was clearly on the side of the invaders. Il Lupo decided to use the chance and pushed his 'last' man in to the direction of the assassin.

The thief was surprised and stumbled over his own legs, cursing his leader. Ash were bored by that and extended the hidden blade and hold it in front of him. The stumbling man lost his complete balance and fell into the blade, coughing up his life.

Meanwhile Il Lupo dashed to the window and jumped to the outside. All of the confidence that he showed some minutes before was gone, replaced by fear.

Ash stood up, took his bow and followed the fleeing man through the window onto the plaza. The combination of running and arching was something that Ash could do with the yearlong exercise of all movements.

The assassin aimed for the neck of the leader of the fallen guild, but before he could release the arrow from his grip he heard a shot.

Right after that a huge pain occurred in his right triceps, distracting him from the assault. The arrow, however, hit the leg of the leader and pierced the calf.

Lucario, who followed his master in small distance, looked for the reason of the sudden attack. On top of the house was still a thieve and he was holding some sort of an iron pipe. The end of the pipe was smoking and it was directed to his master.

Instinctively Lucario jumped up to the roof and pushed the man to the ground. The aura Pokémon was furious and surrounded his right palm with a iron alloy, preparing for a metal claw. The scared thief attempted to kick the Pokémon away bit it was in vain.

The attack hit with full force, causing a gigantic wound. Screaming in pain the man lost his consciousness, not realizing the blood that he lost.

Lucario calmed himself down a bit before he shifted his gaze to the small weapon that was in possession of the thief just seconds prior. He ogled this 'thing' and wondered how it could harm his master from that distance.

At the thought of his master Lucario turned back to the plaza, but his master and the guild leader were both gone. The only thing they had left were two traces of blood that were leading to the near houses.

The steel and fighting type tried to sense his master' aura, but he couldn't concentrate. The thought of his master' condition made Lucario nervous.

Instead of whining, Lucario went to the plaza and followed the two traces of blood. The trace of blood of his master revealed that Ash lost a lot of it, making his movement slower.

Lucario didn't have time to waste and run with extreme speed to the abandoned district.

* * *

Ash shut his right eye tight and it took all of his willpower to stay awake, falling down from time to time. However, the assassin knew that his target wasn't in a better shape either and with the damaged leg he wouldn't come far.

The traces of blood eventually lead into a large and empty warehouse and Ash slowed down. El lobo seemed to have stop and hide in this house.

Ash knew that he had to kill this man, because after what he heard about the 'old brotherhood' it was only a question of time until King Cyrus would sent his soldiers after him.

He entered the warehouse, not removing his gaze from the blood, but something made him insecure. The blood ended at a ladder that went up to the next floor, however, on the ladder itself wasn't any blood.

The assassin wanted to extend his blade in preparation but his right arm wouldn't respond to his command. He had to rely on his left arm and drew a normal blade with it. For miles around there wasn't any hiding spot, the thief had to be up there.

Climbing up a ladder with only one arm turned out to be a bigger challenge than expected and Ash put the blade in his mouth and started the difficult climb.

Thirty sprouts later he got to the end of it, but at the moment his hand reached the next floor someone stepped onto it. Ash, still his blade in his mouth, felt the pain and looked up. Il Lupo, who had managed to stop the bleeding, saw the miserable situation that his foe was in.

"It seems that I beat you in your own game!" Il Lupo started to laugh before he stomped onto the hand of the caught assassin.

Due to reflex Ash let loose of the ground and fell backwards. His fall, however, was short-lived when his right leg was trapped between two sprouts. The assassin crashed headfirst into the ladder, but he was still at the end of it.

Il Lupo didn't see that and celebrated his 'victory'. Instead of assuring himself he stood at the same point, laughing like a freaking idiot.

Ash realized that he had still that blade between his teeth and sensed his opportunity. He used all of his abdominal muscles to lift his upper body up again, elevating himself to the same height as the legs of Il Lupo.

The assassin turned his head to the side before he snapped it back, ramming the knife into the wound of the wolf.

Before the leader of the former guild could scream in pain Ash let himself fell back again, pulling the thief with him. Unlike Ash who was still trapped between the sprouts Il Lupo fell all the way down, landing head first on the hard ground.

That marked the end of the thief guild of Petalburg, but Ash still hadn't time to relax. He still hung upside down and he didn't knew if he could summon up the strength to lift himself up again. After ten attempts he knew he couldn't.

Luckily Lucario had caught up with him and entered the warehouse. As he saw the dead body of el lobo the aura Pokémon started to yell for his master.

"Hey, Lucario!" Ash shouted with a cheerful voice, but he couldn't suppress the pain in it. "I think I could need some help. I like to hang around but I prefer the non-literally definition of it."

Lucario didn't respond to that 'joke', but he was glad that his master was alive. He couldn't say that he was alright, but an assassin had to live with situations like that.

Lucario climbed up the sprouts and freed his master from this unique situation. After it was done Ash had enough energy to climb the rest of the way by himself.

Once on the ground Ash walked to Il Lupo's body and closed the thief's eyes. "Requiescat in pace!" He paid the last tribute to this man, although he was his enemy two minutes ago.

With no words both of them left the warehouse, but the strong pain in Ash's right arm returned.

"I wonder what hit me back then." The assassin asked and touched the spot. It wasn't a stab or a cut but more a hole on the back of his arm.

Lucario thought it was his duty to explain something to his master.

"After you were attacked I eliminate a thief on top of the house, master." Lucario started, catching the attention of his wounded master.

"Didn't see that coming …." Ash murmured, fighting against the unconsciousness.

"Yeah, but I found some kind of weapon with him." Lucario showed his master the 'iron pipe'. Ash was puzzled, because he never saw something like that.

"This little thing almost ripped my arm off?" Ash exclaimed in pure disbelief.

"It seemed like that. Right after it shot I saw smoke coming out of it." The aura Pokémon described the events that happened out of Ash's eyesight.

"I hope that this thing is a single-made product! These things could make the life of us assassins much worse." Ash's head dropped down again.

"I don't know, master. At first we should take care of your wound." Lucario suggested and started to support his master. During their way back to the shelter it started to rain.

"At least the traces of bloods are washed away." Ash chuckled, trying to see the positive in these kind of things. Lucario increased his speed, fearing the lost of blood of his master.

After they left the abandoned district they crossed the plaza. Lucario opened the front door, hoping that all thieves were dead, but the aura Pokémon had learned to expect the unexpected.

Ash saw that his partner brought him upstairs, but right after that the assassin fainted …..

* * *

Maple residence , shortly before midnight

* * *

May was still awake, although she had dinner this time and most of her time at home passed without any bad confrontation.

After she went to Dawn's house she and Eevee started to chase each other around. The common play known as Hide and seek was one of a few games that could be played between Pokémon and humans.

Dawn needed several hours to fix her hair again, upsetting May and Eevee. When the blunette finished her makeover May had to say goodbye to both, Dawn and the small, little fox.

The brunette was relieved after she learned that her stepfather wasn't at home and that he wouldn't return any time soon. Jessie was too busy to try some of her new dresses that Giovanni bought her to impress a certain blue-haired noble.

The girl crawled into her bed, covering herself with the sheets. In her mind she remembered the day, but the most memorable event was the meeting with that Pikachu. Dawn had said that the rodent had a owner and May imagined his holder, exaggerating some things of course but as long as it happened in her mind.

Her dream boy should have black hair. She didn't know why but she was attracted to black-haired people and tanned skin. She loved brown eyes, although she had blue ones.

With every day that passed it became more and more intolerable for May. She had enough that Giovanni prevented her from finding her 'man', but she would at least wait until her eighteenth birthday and after that she would ran away from here.

She closed her eyes, but seconds later she heard that the front door opened. She assumed that this had to be Giovanni, but it took him to long to close the door again.

The next thing she heard were two voices, making May very suspicious. In the past her 'stepfather' never brought guests at this time of the day and she was sure that he wouldn't start this without a good reason.

When the curiosity got the best of her she crawled on all fours towards the door, hoping that nobody would hear. She opened the door with so much caution that it could be a mission impossible.

She moved as slow as she could without stopping and when she reached the stairs she could spot the silhouettes of two people. Knowing that her thought was right she started to eavesdrop on them.

"Are you sure that nobody will eavesdrop on us?" A male voice whispered but it was still loud enough to be heard in the whole room and on top of the stairs.

"Yes! Jessie's room is across this corridor and she would never sacrifice her beauty sleep to eavesdrop on us anyway." Giovanni replied with a calm voice.

"And what's with this other 'girl' that you have?" The voice asked and emphasized the word 'girl'. It was like that he wanted to say something else originally.

"May?" Giovanni laughed. "This stupid girl wouldn't see a plan if it hits her right in her face. And besides this lazy brat always sleeps too long and I'm sure that she exploited the situation today already and went to bed early."

May clenched her fists, because her stepfather couldn't say something nice about her, even to the guests.

"Good! We can't need any witnesses anyway, although we know what would happen with them." The unknown finished his statement with a terrible chuckle.

"Let's come to the business." Giovanni demanded and sat on a chair near the stairs.

"No need to hurry Giovanni! The plan will work just fine and my boss already paid this stupid thief guilt to cause a distraction." May guessed that this man had to be in his twenties, but the brunette couldn't risk to go one-step down to the get a look at the strangers' face.

"Great! This genius plan of our leader is twenty years in the making and it will finally pay off!" Giovanni laughed.

May was shocked, because she never imagined that her 'stepfather' would consider someone as his leader. But what was more important : What is that plan they are talking about?

"But the years were worth it, but this stupid old king hadn't told us the position of the hidden treasury. Cyrus is really pissed off because of that." His stern voice changed into an annoyed one.

May couldn't believe what she just heard. Were they talking about Lance? Everybody thought that he had died a year ago without leaving a successor.

The brunette couldn't control her emotions and let out a small shriek, pulling some unwanted attention. Giovanni and his mysterious guest heard this noise and instantly became furious.

The brown-haired man walked to the stairs, thinking that the noise came from there. May already crawled backwards, hoping to get into her room in time.

Giovanni was about the went upstairs, but he was interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Daddy?" The voice belonged to a purple-haired girl. She stood at the door to the corridor and looked very tired.

"Jessie, sweetie." Giovanni exclaimed surprised, waling downstairs again. May was saved.

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you sleep already?" Giovanni hoped that his daughter didn't hear anything, although he planned to initiated her into the plan soon. In reality Jessie was already part of the plan, but the brown-haired man knew that his daughter hated it to be exploited.

"I heard you …." Jessie started before she shifted his gaze to the stranger. " …. and someone else."

The stranger immediately took Jesse' hand and planted a kiss on it, knowing that Jesse wouldn't ask any questions if she is treated like a beauty. "I'm sorry if we wake you up, but I and your father are business partner. My name is Butch and I'm a very successful merchant."

May was already back in her room, missing this important information.

Jesse' blushed and hold her cheek, showing that Butch' attempt was a success. "Nice to meet you sir. I'm Jesse."

"It's a honor to meet a beauty like you." Butch continued to make Jesse blush, although Giovanni didn't like it. His daughter should completely fall for Duke James.

"You flatter me." Jesse' face was crimson red. "I'll go back to bed. A beauty like me need her beauty sleep. Goodnight Daddy! Goodnight Butch." The longhaired 'princess' walked back to her room, still hearing the compliments in her mind.

Butch smiled, his mission was accomplished. After Giovanni' daughter was back to her room Butch started to continue the conversation.

"I have to go now! Tomorrow I have a meeting with several merchants and I will try to convince them for our plan!" Butch walked towards the front door and opened it.

"As soon as you see the fire everyone will execute his part of the plan! Do you understand?" The merchant turned around to face Giovanni and waited for his reply.

"You don't have to tell me that! I'm a templar longer than you, little newcomer!" Giovanni demanded respect from the merchant before he slammed the door in the man' face.

Butch wasn't impressed by that. "As you say." He said to no one particular.

The merchant walked through the streets, expecting that tomorrow would be an easy day.

* * *

The next day ….. Ash' hideout …

* * *

Ash woke up with the biggest headache, but in comparison to yesterday he felt unbeatable. The assassin noticed that he was in small room, looking up to the ceiling.

Knowing that he had rested enough Ash sat up, expecting to see Lucario but for his surprise the aura Pokémon wasn't anywhere. The master assassin touched his forehead and noticed a large amount of sweat on it, but he hadn't a fever or anything.

Ash noticed that he could move his right arm again and began to examine it. All of his wounds were treated and the pain wasn't much more than a small dragging pain anymore.

His clothes alongside his weapons hang on a chair next to his bed. The first thing an assassin did when he woke up was to made himself ready for a fight.

He put his clothes on and checked his weapons. All of them weren't damaged, ready to be used again.

The 'white hunter' walked downstairs, looking for his Pokémon. It surprised him big time that the house looked completely different from yesterday. All of the death bodies were removed, all of the blood had vanished and even the window was repaired.

"Oh, I see that you woke up master." The familiar voice of Lucario reached Ash' ears. He turned around saw his aura Pokémon with some breakfast in his hands.

"Good morning Lucario. I assume that I have to thank you for all of this." Ash pointed to his wound, to the floor and to the window.

"That's the least what I could do for you, master." Lucario bowed and put the food on a table that stood in the centre of the room.

"I really appreciate that Lucario. I don't know what would happen without you." Lucario was flattered by that comment. He bowed again and pointed to that food on the table.

"Let's eat something, master. You have to relax a bit." Lucario said.

"Okay, but you'll eat something too. It'll be a long day today and I can't risk to have a partner with an empty stomach." Ash took place on the chair and started to eat. The breakfast consisted of bread, milk, eggs, cheese and different other ingredients.

"Where did you find all of this food Lucario?" Ash asked, not removing his gaze from the food.

"This guild has a really large chamber full of food. I guess that it could be enough for one year!" Lucario took one of the fruits on the table. Ash almost coughed up when he heard that they had enough food for almost twelve months.

"One year?" The assassin exclaimed in disbelief. "How could they got so much food?"

"It's very likely that they stole all of it, but does it matter, master?" Lucario was right and Ash knew that.

They ate for ten minutes until Ash had another question for his loyal servant. "What did you do with the bodies?" It was important to get rid of them before a illness could break out.

"I throw them into the river." Lucario answered simply.

"Where's a river?" Ash didn't know what to think of it.

"At the back of the house, master. It's perfect because the river runs to the outside of the town and nobody will find the bodies near the shelter of us." Lucario didn't need Ash to come up with an idea like that, but Lucario wasn't finished.

"And don't worry master. I searched all of them before I tossed them into the water. I found a lot of money." Lucario said with a cheerful voice. They could use that money to pay Meowth for more information, but also to buy new equipment.

"There's nothing that you didn't do? Is there?" Ash asked, expecting some sort of answer.

"It's only because I have a good mentor!" Lucario started to smile, but Ash felt uncomfortable because he forget many of the things that he taught Lucario.

"Thank you …" Ash muttered, not wanting to deepen the topic.

"And I have some new information about the weapon from yesterday, master." Lucario knew that it was important to let his master know about that.

"This iron thing? What do you found out?" The assassin rested his head on his left hand, expecting a difficult explanation from Lucario.

"When I treated your wound I pulled something out of it!" Lucario tossed some iron bullet onto the table. The crusted blood of Ash was still on it.

"That thing was inside my arm?" Ash took the little sphere and ogled it. He put it between his two fingers and tried to understand how it could hurt him that badly.

"This 'ball' was shot out of the pipe that I showed you yesterday. They used gunpowder to accelerate it!" Lucario was right with his explanation but it sounded weird.

"Do you want to tell me that they minimize a cannon to this?" Cannons were the strongest weapons of every castle or tower, but nobody would think of a cannon that you can shot from your hand.

"It's hard to believe but yes, master!" Lucario knew that this knowledge wouldn't help them yet, but he was glad that his master was only hit in the arm with that gun.

"Great!" Ash bumped his head onto the table. "Can you tell me any disadvantage of this 'thing'?" Ash wanted to know everything about this new treat and it was clear that he have to inform master Oak about it too.

"It's quick, precise and causes a lot of damage. However, I think that it's very difficult to reload them, especial in the heat of a fight." What would Ash do without Lucario?

Ash' face brightened. "Does that mean if I'm able to avoid the first shot I will have enough time to get close enough for my knife?" Lucario nodded at that.

"Then I have to be more careful than usual!" Ash exclaimed. Lucario rolled his eyes at this.

The assassin finished his meal and patted his stomach. Food and enough sleep healed every wound of him, showing his strong internal energy.

"How late it is?" Ash exclaimed suddenly, remembering that they had an important 'meeting' today. It was their first quest that master Oak gave them and he wouldn't fail at it.

" One hour before noon, master." Lucario was surprised that his master wanted already to go on a mission after that rough night yesterday.

"I think I should go to the market place now." Ash jumped to his feet and pulled his hood deep down into his face.

Lucario wasn't sure whether he should support his master with that or not.

"Are you sure master? I'm mean you're still wounded." The aura Pokémon knew that Meowth said that Butch would meet several merchants today, but he would feel better if they wait for another opportunity.

"It's okay, Lucario. That isn't the first time that I go onto a mission with a bad arm." Lucario couldn't laugh with his master, he was too concerned.

"Okay, but I'll go with you master!" The fighting type stepped forward and placed himself next to Ash, awaiting the start of their daily mission.

"You won't come along." The assassin exclaimed before he put his bow around his shoulder. He also checked his hidden blade again.

"But - but master? …. Why do you want to go alone?" Lucario couldn't understand his master' decision, hoping to convince him for the better.

"It won't be that hard, Lucario. Besides I need you to do something else instead." Ash looked to his confused Pokémon. The assassin knew that it could be dangerous going alone, but as a master he had to stand his man.

"What should I do?" Lucario responded with a calm voice, seemingly accepting the conditions of his master. For now.

"Pikachu and Pidgeot are still out there! Please find them and bring them to this place!" Without any further explanation Ash left the house, leaving his Pokémon behind.

For a split-second Lucario thought about the possibility to ignore his master' orders and follow him, but he decided against it.

'The sooner I find them the sooner I can help him!' thought Lucario, running out of the house into the direction of the city gate.

* * *

The Kanto native crossed the plaza, trying to ignore the pain that still went through his shoulder and arm. Today was Wednesday and it was common that this was also the 'market day' in every town, Petalburg wasn't an exception.

The assassin wasn't on a chase or an escape and could use the streets instead of the roofs. Thoughts of his condition cast doubts in Ash' mind, distracting him from his surroundings.

At first he had to find the market and in an attempt to find it Ash used a large street, seemingly a main road in this town and most main roads leaded to the city centre.

During his quest Ash spotted a shop that caught his attention. They sold weapons of every kind and Ash wanted to be up to date, approaching the shop with great interest.

"Can I help you?" A big man with purple and long hair asked. He wasn't the typical smith, although he managed this store.

"I wanted to know if there any new weapons on the market." Ash spoke with a darker voice, hiding his real identity. The seller with the purple hair and green clothes ogled the stranger, finding it weird that this man looked so familiar but he shrugged it off.

"You're lucky! Since yesterday we have this new weapon. I assume that you are a weapon-lover?" The seller pointed to Ash' bow and sword, however, he didn't notice the hidden blade of the assassin.

"Oh … I think you can say that." The hood of Ash covered his smirk perfectly.

"Are you a mercenary or a hunter?" The purple-head asked. Ash didn't feel comfortable with the questions. He thought that the smith wanted to sell his weapons, no matter what.

"Let's say I'm an adventurer." Ash said with a casual voice and the seller seemed convinced.

"By the way, my name's Harley!" The seller exclaimed. Ash was annoyed by the way the seller acted. Wanted he to sell weapons or searched he for small talks?

"Okay." Ash hesitated but a crazy seller wouldn't prevent him to get the updates he wanted. "Can you show me the new weapon please?"

"Oh right!" With that Harley vanished behind the stall. Ash could hear different noises, most of them belonged to armors that were pushed into each other.

This whole thing took too much time and Ash wanted to go, but he was stopped by Harley who finished his search for the 'new' weapon.

"Here it is!" He exclaimed proudly and laid it onto the wooden underground. This object consisted of several smaller objects. But the form reminded Ash of something.

"That are just throwing knifes!" Ash yelled and caught the attention of several passer bys

"I admit that they look like that, but they are special!" Harley defended himself and put one of the knifes into his hand. Ash looked very suspicious and he was sure that Harley wanted to make a fool out of him and sell him normal knifes.

"What should be so special about them?" The assassin crossed his arms and frowned, showing his grievance. Harley noticed that but he kept his cool.

"You know, some physicist had discovered that you could use a throwing knifes in more than one way." Harley told with enthusiasm, although it wouldn't jump over to Ash as well.

"And?" The assassin stepped back, showing that he was ready to leave.

On the opposite side of the road was a tent and Harley knew that he had to show the special feature of the knifes. He took the knife again and threw it, but not in the usual way.

The knife was flying horizontally and it rotated with high speed. It was almost like a circular saw and it even had the same effect. The tent on the other side of the street was cut by that knife and it left a long horizontally line in it.

Ash didn't see that coming, but he was amazed that this weapon was more than it seemed and that Harley could use it so well. "How did you do that?"

"It's everything about center of gravity, little boy." Harley took a second knife and showed that they were perfectly balanced.

"This throwing knife allows you to cut things from the distant." Harley almost cheered, hoping that other people would hear it too. The customer in front of at least was convinced.

"Does that mean that I could cut flags and ropes from the distant?" Ash knew that these weren't the best examples, but he was too excited to see a 'new' or 'improved' weapon.

"You could, but you shouldn't cut flags of course." The smith pulled out several other knifes and hoped to sell them.

Ash looked at his belt and straps, seeing how much throwing knifes he had left anyways. On his first day he already used ten of them, but now he could replace them with something better.

"Okay, I buy ten of these knifes!" Ash exclaimed and put much money on the desk, surprising Harley.

"Of course sir!" The smith didn't expect to have such a wealthy person in front of him.

Harley sold the knifes and waved goodbye to the stranger. It had been a eternity that he made so much money, but he had a presentiment that the stranger was more than it seemed.

However, he didn't had much time to admire his new earned money when he heard a deep voice. "Harley you bastard! Why did you cut my tent?" The voice belonged to armor seller Morrison, sounding more terrific than ever.

"I needed to show the improvement of one of my goods!" Harley smirked, but he started to freak out when Morrison snapped the money out of his hands.

"I think that should be enough!" Morrison walked away, leaving the cursing and whining Harley behind.

Ash, who didn't saw that dilemma, continued his way to the market. The assassin had to ask five different people before he finally reached the large spot that was located between four gigantic buildings. Due to 'market day' every spot was taken by various sellers and all of them wanted to make more money than the other.

Sticking between the smell of fish and the screams of the hawkers Ash tried to find a place that he could use as a viewpoint.

'What kind of merchants would Butch want to meet?' the thoughts of Ash ended when a huge horn signal echoed through the masses, startling many children.

Ash disappeared in the crowd and looked carefully to the direction that the signal came from. Both buyer and seller shifted their gaze to a large Pokémon.

Caught between amazement and fear all people knew that this Salamence belonged to Drake, the commander of the royal army in times of war.

That couldn't mean anything positive and Ash winded through the crowd in front of him, approaching the large dragon Pokémon. He wanted to convince himself that Drake was here.

Although it wasn't part of his actual mission Ash wanted to see that man. He heard that Drake was the only reason that the Hoenn kingdom didn't start a war against Kanto while King Cyrus intended the opposite.

For all he knew Drake was a good 'person' in Ash's opinion, but why was he here?

Jumping off the back of his trusted Salamence Drake appeared in front of the crowd …..

* * *

**That was chapter 5 and I know that some parts are confusing, but everything will be explained later on. Some of you maybe think that this is the start of the end of that story? Sorry to disappoint you but that's just the beginning. This story consists of one main plot and many smaller plots as well. **

**Some things for understanding: **

**- Il Lupo is Italian for 'the wolf' and it's a reference to 'La Volpe' from AC 2**

**- Guns aren't well known **

**- Butch and Giovanni are part of the Templar **

**- Ash already sabotaged the templar' plan without knowing it**

**- Like it or not - Harley will appear again later on**

**- No Flashbacks? That's right, but you aren't disappointed, are you?**

**- You would be surprised if you know which people will appear as well**

**- You still wait for the first meeting of May and Ash - no need to worry**

**- Ash will get a bounty **

**Was that too much violence or was it just right? I want at least 20 reviews overall before I upload again and thanks to everyone who is a fan of that story. **

**Please don't flame!**

**Please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**And here comes chapter 6 and it will contain some twists. I decided that I will pair Dawn up with Paul in later chapters but when and how I'll introduce him is my decision and I won't tell anyone. Story is rated M for violence, blood, bad language, murders and deaths. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or Assassin's Creed**

**R&R!**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Ash knew that he shouldn't pay too much attention to Drake, but he wanted to see one of the best strategists of the entire world. However, the last war was thirteen years ago and nobody could imagine how a war with all the new inventions would turn out.

The crowd gathered around Drake and most of them expected a solemn announcement. Sanding in front of Salamence Drake began to speak.

"Dear people, I'm proud to proclaim that we won't have a war against Kanto. I could convince King Cyrus to withdraw his declaration of war."

Ash could hear a near guard that mumbled 'For now' with an angry voice, but the assassin shrugged it off. The black-haired killer had placed himself between two faithful priests that matched his cloak color.

"But the king insisted that all boys and young men of military age would have to attend the basic military training within the next two months." Drake continued with a sad voice. Many mothers disagreed with that.

The first booing was audible and a crazy man started to throw tomatoes onto Drake, but two guardians stopped him and brought him away.

"The boys and men will receive an excellent schooling, provisions, accommodations and reward during that time." Drake's comments seemed to calm down the enraged crowed. Some teenagers got a smile on their face and were happy.

Ash realized that this wasn't something special so far and that he should watch for his 'target' now. He left his 'hiding spot' between the Catholics and searched for a meeting place that could be used by Butch. At this time he noticed that, he forgot to ask Meowth how Butch looks like.

'Maybe I should climb a higher level.' The thoughts of Ash were soon interrupted when a strange feeling made him Goosebumps.

It wasn't usual for him to sense other people' aura, but this time he felt a presence that was more unique than any other on the market was. It wasn't a very strong aura, however it emitted pure hate. Although Ash didn't see him he know that this have to be Butch or another one on his list.

He immediately turned around and searched for the cause of this 'terrifying' aura. Ash started to push all the people away that were on his path and something on his subconscious told him that Butch could be one of a templar.

The assassin knew that it couldn't be, but he hadn't felt an aura like that since master Oak killed the 'last' templar ten years ago and all assassins thought that the templar order is extinct. One more reason to search for this man.

The templar aura moved towards an empty part of the market square. It took Ash several minutes to find a way through the crowd, but he found a group of merchants eventually.

With a twenty feet distance between them Ash started to eavesdrop on them and thanked Drake mentally that he pulled all the people on the other side of the square.

"Who are you?" One merchant asked another one. All of them wore clothes that were made of finest silk with different colors. Normally Ash would approach them, but his goat didn't match with their garments, forcing Ash to stay away.

"I'm Claudio Idnar and I'm Petalburg' greatest weapons-dealer. And you are?" Claudio finished his statement with a counter-question. The other merchants started to approach the two men, trying to get some information about their upcoming meeting.

"I'm Pietro Babarigo, equipment-dealer of Petalburg." He bowed down. Some of the other merchants whispered something, but Ash' ears weren't that good that he could tell what they were talking.

"Do you know who wants to see us? I got this letter and I'm curious about that person that promised me a wealth." He pulled a letter out of his pocket and showed it. All other men started to search for the exactly same letter and hold them up high.

Ash noticed that all of the letters had a cachet, but it wasn't a familiar one. He wondered …..

"I have no clue that this mysterious men should be, but I heard that he is very successful at what he's doing." The curiosity among the merchants increased.

"But who is he?" More and more merchants started to ask this question.

"That would be ME!" Every dealer turned around, looking for the voice. They saw someone who wore a black outfit, but it was still very expensive-looking.

Almost everyone gasped and kept looking at this MAN. Ash felt that present again and focused his look onto the man with green hair.

"You're Hutch, aren't you?" Claudio asked. Butch frowned and his face filled with anger, before he calmed himself down again.

"No you idiot! I'm Butch!" He exclaimed in a harsh voice, but it was very important to him that his name was pronounced the right way.

"Okay Biff, but you're this merchant that has very good connections to the king. Is that right?" Pietro continued their talk.

"NO!" Butch screamed before he realized that he had to answer both questions. "I'm mean yes, I'm the king's number one merchant but my name is Butch Gosh Darn It!"

"Okay, but we want to know why you want us to meet you." Claudio continued, crossing his arms. He assumed that Butch wanted to smash them so he could get all the deals.

"What would you say if I promise you a highly doped contract with the king himself?" The shocked impressions on the faces of the merchants were priceless.

"That would be wonderful Footch!" Pietro exclaimed. Ash approached the meeting and tried to hide behind three merchants, pretending to be old and hard-of-hearing.

Butch clenched his fist after his name was again misspoken, readying himself to punch someone right in the face.

"You stupid ….." Butch didn't finish the statement, expecting that the merchants would turn on him if he starts fighting with one of them. "I mean, yeah it's wonderful, but you have to do something in return."

"I see that coming!" whispered Claudio. "And why should we believe you? You're the most successful merchant here and we know that you would never share any big deal with anyone." The words of him convinced all of the others to be suspicious as well.

Ash was almost behind Butch without anyone noticing it, but he held back. His mission consisted of two parts and part one wasn't over yet.

"No worries friends!" Butch emphasized the word 'friends'. "I'm sure that the king will explain it to you!"

"Wha - what - the the the king will talk to us?" Everyone stuttered. That was the last thing they expected, however they weren't against it.

"Are you surprised? I'm sure he will vouch for me." Butch face showed a big smirk that looked almost disgusting and Ash wondered if he heard enough.

"Can you tell us when he wants to see us?" They demanded in union.

"Stay calm! Everything what you need to know is in these letters." Butch motioned to two guardians and they approached the group of merchants. The two guards gave everyone a letter, even Ash but he saw this as a perfect opportunity.

Unknown for Ash Butch saw him and grinned, but did nothing. After everybody received one letter, the guards walked to the back, standing only a few feet away from Ash.

"I hope that we'll see again and I'm sure that we are going to make history together." The smirk on his face grew brighter and the merchants started to leave, occasionally talking to each other about the future.

Everybody left besides Butch, Ash and the two guards. Sensing his opportunity Ash drew closer to Butch, however he was stopped by the two guards. Thanks to his hood Ash' 'O-shit' look was blocked for the others.

Both men hold onto his arms, preventing him from his mission. Butch laughed before he turned around to see his 'follower'.

"There you are." He said coldly, approaching his foe without any hesitation. "I knew that I saw these clothes somewhere else." Ash tried to free himself from the grip but he wasn't strong enough.

"Let's see what we have here. A man with a white cloak, white hood, a sword, throwing knifes and even a bow! I'm impressed young assassin. It seems that you are really talented with weapons." Butch looked at the man in front of him; however, he didn't notice the hidden blade of Ash.

"It has been some time that I actually saw an assassin in this city. Are you from here?" Butch wanted to ask the 'prisoner' about his intentions. It wouldn't be very good for their plan if there are any assassins left in this city.

Ash remained silent, not breaking his creed. Ash wasn't allowed to tell anyone about his brotherhood that could harm it in the end.

"You're the silent type, I guess." Butch waged the different opportunities that he has, thinking for some minutes. In the end, he drew a knife and turned to Ash again.

"You won't tell anything, right? Then you are nothing but a burden for us and I assume that you are one of a kind, some little rebel or a vindictive farm boy." Butch started to laugh, but Ash wasn't far away from surrender.

"I don't think so Buffy." The assassin chuckled. He intentionally misspoken the merchants name, but he received a punch into his stomach in return. The pain wasn't overwhelming, but he would get this ass for that.

"A little joker here, yeah?" Butch withdrew his fist from the stomach and shook his head. The stupidity of his foe was strange to him.

"Whatever you say, Bob." Ash smirked as if he was about to win, but nobody suspected that he already won.

"You jerk; I swear that this was your last sentence." The merchant shot his hand forward and wanted to stab his foe' kidney area, but Ash saw that coming.

Everybody on the square still looked at Drake and his promo, seeing the next events that will occur.

Ash dodged to the right side, pulling the left thief into the deadly attack. The knife pierced the man into the belly and through Ash' movement it slashed the whole stomach of him. There was much blood than usual and the guard tried desperately to hold his organs inside his body.

Within a second Ash extended the hidden blade and through to his position it pierced the neck of the second guard and ended inside his head. The guard was killed immediately and fell to the ground.

After getting rid of the two bastards Ash aimed for his main victim and shot his hidden blade towards Butch who avoided the attack with a sidestep before he tackled the assassin into a set of wooden boxes. The attack hadn't the desired effect when Ash stood up immediately and rushed to Butch again.

Realizing that this wouldn't be that easy Butch escaped from the deadly situation and ran towards Drake, hoping for help from his guards.

Not having the time to follow him Ash took his bow and aimed again for the neck of the refugee. When he pulled the bowstring, his old wound on his right triceps opened up again, filling his whole body with pain.

The arrow almost hit his victim though but it missed him by a few inches. The arrow shot through the air and hit one of Drake' guard's right in the head. Ash slowly lowered his bow and thousands thoughts run through his head but one thing was clear: That wasn't his week so far.

Women started to scream and the kids started to cry. The large crowd vanished and a panic occurred among the citizens.

Drake looked at his fallen guard before turning to the archer. You couldn't describe the look on his face, but the words disgusting, rage, betrayal and death would come close to it.

"Guards! Get him!" He demanded and pointed to the hooded man. But the most terrifying thing for Ash was the fact that even Drake himself walked towards him. So it was true that the general always fought alongside his soldiers.

Now everything had to happen very fast and Ash knew that he had to kill Butch before he would try to escape before he dies.

Butch ran towards a large building, but his follower was close on his heels. Drake' guards had a hard time to reach him because of their heavy armor.

With the pain disappearing at the moment, Ash almost reached Butch but the merchant already opened a door to a belfry and he smashed it as soon as he entered it. Ash was a man who rarely used doorknobs and rammed the door with a shoulder block. By habit, he used his right side and this didn't do anything good to his wound, but the hooded man kept running.

The tower had more than three hundred steps and it turned out to be a tough competition for both men. Butch secretly hoped that Drake would catch up with the assassin before he reached him, because he hadn't a plan after he reached the top of the tower.

Ash frowned because he thought that Templar were good fighters but this one was an absolutely idiot. Occasionally Ash looked through the banisters to catch a look of his chasers. For his luck, they were already three floors behind him while Butch was only one above him.

His breathing became a torture and his legs couldn't take one more step, however Butch could see the last floor and looked around. The fear of reaching the end popped into his head, but within the last second, he spotted a 'roof door' and a ladder that was leaned against the wall. He used this last chance for escape and placed the ladder into the middle of the floor and climbed up to the lid. He punched several times against it before it opened.

On top of the tower, Butch tried to pull the ladder up to him, but Ash reached the top floor at the same moment. The ladder was almost out of his sight but Ash jumped onto the railing and jumped onto the ladder, gripping for the last sprout of it.

Butch couldn't lift the additional weight and the ladder fell back, but it didn't fell over or anything. Ash climbed with high speed and reached the same level as Butch but before he stood up he gave the ladder a kick and it fell over, falling down the stairs to the next floor.

'That should give me some time to deal with him' Ash thought and turned around. One second later and Ash wouldn't be able to react to Butch' first attack. His sidestep although was picture perfect.

Both men stared at each other and the assassin knew that he had the advantage. The last level of the tower consisted of four large open windows and in the middle of the 'room' hung a large, bronze bell. Ash caught a look of the surroundings and noticed that they were two-hundred feet above the ground. No way for escape.

Normally Ash would use this scene for a short talk, but his chasers didn't allow him this little addition of his fighting style.

Ash started with a sidestep forward and struck with his sword but it was parried by Butch. It seemed that the Templar wasn't so bad himself.

They fought for about a minute, forcing Ash to change his sword hand. With his left hand, he wasn't very well trained, but there wasn't any other choice.

Butch then found an opening to hit his opponent across the shoulder. Although it wasn't a deep cut, Ash had to get loose of his sword. It fell down to the ground and the templar started to laugh with an evil grin.

Now it was up to Ash to find a way out of this. The merchant swung his sword for another hit when Ash dashed to the side and gripped his foe' arm, not letting loose of it.

Fighting through the pain Ash fell backwards and Butch was dragged along. Ash estimated everything perfectly and the merchant' head crashed into the bell, making him perplexed by that hit.

Ash immediately jumped to his feet and rammed his good shoulder into the ribcage of Butch, forcing him to the wall.

The next few seconds were filled with blood, pain and screams. The hidden blade of Ash found his way to Butch' body. It pierced the skin of him, went through the flesh, paved a way under the ribcage and eventually stabbed the heart of the templar.

Ash put the man onto his back, supporting his head with his arm around the templar' neck. Now it was time for the last confession of the merchant.

"How long have templar been here?" Ash started his little question-and-answer round.

"Do you really think ….. That … you could do anything against us?" Butch started between his breaths. The blood already floated out of his wound, covering the floor and a main part of Ash' clothes.

"How many are there of you?" The assassin hadn't much time left and he knew that he couldn't waste his time to get some answers.

"Too many for you … cough …. You can't imagine what will happen after the other finds out that you interfered into our business." The dying merchant tried to laugh but the only thing that escaped his mouth was blood.

"Who is your master?" The assassin shook his foe, but Butch wasn't able to answer anymore. The body laid in Ash' arms without any sign of living.

The hooded man released his grip on the man and kneeled next to him.

"It's better to be satisfied in this life, instead of seeking for it in the next life." The assassin heard knocks on the 'roof door' and it wouldn't take long until Drake would arrive.

"Requiescat in pace!" Ash closed the eyes of his latest victim with the 'trademark' catchphrase.

The assassin used the last seconds to search through Butch' belongings and found a list of different people. Knowing that he will need it, he put it into his pocket.

Drake finally pushed the wood open and appeared on the top of the tower. The sight of the dead butch sent shiver through his body, but his attention quickly shifted to the murderer itself. Ash knew that there wasn't any room for explanation, but he wasn't in a good fighting shape either.

The way back was blocked by the two guards that followed Drake, leaving absolutely no way out for the multiple time murderer. The Kanto native stepped to the railing of the stone windows and looked to the outside.

In normal circumstances, Ash could climb down, but his condition didn't allow anything like that. Nevertheless, he stepped onto the elevation.

"Who are you?" Drake started, realizing that the killer had no way to go and he couldn't expect that a man like he would surrender.

Ash kept silence, smirking at a man that he admired but this wasn't the perfect time to ask for an autograph. Ash approached the edge, sensing a familiar aura and he knew what he had to do next. One of the two remaining guards approached the edge.

The assassin spotted an unpopular object in the man' hand and it didn't make his situation any better. The thing looked like the iron pipe that Lucario found the last day, but this version was much bigger.

Ash put his hand to one of his straps and removed a throwing knife, preparing to get rid of this guard. The familiar aura approached his position and it was time for Ash to act.

He turned around, his tiptoes already hung over the edge. The guard aimed for the mysterious stranger and was ready to shoot his head off. Drake, however, was very amazed by the way; the killer acted and looked on.

Ash took one last breath before he jumped forward with all of his strength. In the middle of the jump, Ash did a backflip but remained stretched out. The guards were amazed by this leap of faith but it wasn't clever to lose focus. Although everything was upside down, Ash threw the throwing knife and pierced the right hand of the guard, forcing him to let his gun falling down.

The assassin continued his spin until he had a swan dive position, getting closer to the ground. Drake approached the edge and looked down to the soon-to-be-dead. The impact, however, never occurred when Ash landed on the back of a familiar face.

Drake crunched with his teeth, not believing that the killer could escape.

"Everything alright master?" The voice of the aura Pokémon always caught the attention of his master. Ash looked up, realizing that he was sitting on Pidgeots back.

"That I call a rescue in the last second." Ash sighed in relief, resting his head on the bird's feathers.

"Pikapi." The yellow rodent was there, too. The whole gang was reunited again, but unfortunately, this wasn't the end of the day.

Drake, a man who never gave up, yelled to the market square. "SALAMENCE! Come on, I need your help!" The dragon Pokémon immediately took off the ground and flew up to the large tower.

Drake jumped onto the back of this powerful Pokémon. "Follow this Pokémon, Salamence!" The dragon increased his speed and soon caught up with the refugees.

"Master!" Lucario said and pointed to the following Pokémon.

"I know Lucario!" Ash said with an annoyed voice, knowing that he had to deal with Drake here and not a nobody.

"Salamence! Use Flamethrower to stop them!" The blue and red dragon followed the instructions and shot a powerful wave of fire towards the normal-type Pokémon, but missing him.

"That was close/Pika chu pika!" They exclaimed and feeling the rising heat around them. The sweat became visibly on the foreheads of the assassin-squad.

"Can you fly faster, Pidgeot?" Ash asked the bird, but received a 'No' in the form of a shaking head.

"Master, Pidgeot is still hurt after that huge thunderbolt from yesterday. It can't use Extreme speed now." Lucario knew about his friend's condition and tried to explain it to his 'dense' master.

"And using attacks on Pidgeot's back isn't possible either." The assassin thought about other possibility while the bird Pokémon dodged another Flamethrower attack from Salamence.

The dragon Pokémon was now exactly behind Pidgeot before Ash ordered. "Pidgeot! Dodge tactic number 4!" Lucario and Pikachu looked puzzled; not knowing what tactic 4 would look like.

The bird immediately flew up until he was upside down, flying into the opposite direction. Lucario and Pikachu held onto Pidgeot with all of her might, but Ash was calm. Drake' Salamence didn't know how to react and soon the bird was above the Dragon type. The assassin released his grip on his bird and fell onto Salamence' back, facing Drake.

Lucario wanted to help his master and prepared for a jump himself, but the assassin motioned to him that they should instead stay in the vicinity.

"I thought that I would miss a fight between us." Drake turned around, standing up on the back of his dragon. It took a lot of agility not to fall off, but it was a match between two of the best.

Again, Ash kept silent, seizing his opportunity to take on Drake.

"What do you think about pugilism?" Drake suggested, intending not to hurt his Pokémon while fighting on it.

Ash released his grip on his sword, signaling that he was fine with it. It started slowly and Drake and Ash grabbed the hands of each other, trying to force the other one down with pure strength. There wasn't a winner and the assassin again used his old trick. The black-haired killer fell onto his back before he placed both of his feet onto the stomach of Drake and pushed him up, flipping the commander over. Drake almost fell off the dragon but he held onto the tail of Salamence.

Salamence slowed down, making it easier for his master to regain his balance. The normal-type bird Pokémon, however, kept his speed and circled around the 'battleground'.

It wasn't Ash' intention to kill Drake, but he couldn't endanger his mission either. But Ash hesitated for too long and Drake climbed onto the back of the dragon again. However, the assassin got an idea and prepared for a double knockout. He motioned to Pidgeot to approach them.

It was the perfect spot, because under them was a small lake, making it possible to get rid of Drake without actual killing him. Salamence wouldn't have enough time to react quickly enough.

"It was nice to meet you, Drake. However, I have a lot of things to do and I can't stay for dinner." Ash waved to Drake, confusing him a bit. Pidgeot was now almost under them, flying only inches above the water.

The assassin now jumped and kicked with both of his feet against Drake' chest, performing some sort of Dropkick. The impact catapulted both men into a free fall position; however, Ash was the only one who had a backup.

While Ash landed stylishly on Pidgeot's back Drake splashed into the water, making a loud noise. Seconds later, he resurfaced and yelled for his Salamence and the dragon immediately dived down to 'rescue' his master. The commander climbed up, although he had some problems with his soaked clothes. Ready to continue the chase Drake realized that the 'killer' was already far away.

"Shit!" Drake turned his head to every side, but no sight of the assassin. "Let's head back to the castle, Salamence. If he is still in this city we will find him!"

The dragon and his master flew back to the palace of Petalburg and the only thing that was on Drake' mind was 'Wanted poster'.

* * *

Midday with May …

* * *

The special brunette tried the whole morning to avoid her 'stepfather', but that was everything she could think of. There were a lot of things on May' mind, but she hoped with all of her might that Giovanni wasn't a criminal.

May walked across the streets towards her school, thinking if Dawn should know about the meeting from yesterday. On the one hand, May wanted Dawn to help her but on the other hand, she didn't want her to get involved into all of that.

On Wednesday, there was always a ball game at school and May loved this more than everything. Having fun within a group was more for her than ten birthday parties. However, her last birthday that went along a party was five years ago and it was the last birthday with her mother.

The brunette relived the first meeting with Jesse and Giovanni, completely in trance while walking down the streets.

_/Flashback/ _

_Caroline and May were in front of a normal-sized house. It wasn't so big like the house of May and her mother but it seemed enough to be lucky within it. _

_Caroline wore a dress similar to that one that she wore to birthday parties. It went straight down to her knees and the bows were positioned along the sides. The sleeves covered half of her arms, but they ended with a nice pattern. It was made of white and blue silk. Additional to her dress Caroline wore some earrings that symbolized two Eevees. _

_May instead wore a dress that went up to her heels without touching the ground. It was mainly pink and white. The puffy sleeves, that went halve down her upper arm, were decorated with red bows. Around her neck was a necklace that her mother gave her before this visit. _

_The mother knocked on the door, waiting for her 'special friend' to open the door for her and May. After one minute, that felt like an eternity, the door finally opened and revealed a tall man in his forties. He had short brown hair, but their were also signs of grey hair. _

_The face of Giovanni startled May a bit, because it was stern and it looked like that this man was rarely laughing. Within reflex May hid behind her mother, clutching her legs. _

"_Good evening, Giovanni." Caroline smiled at the man. _

"_Hello, Caroline. It's nice that you could find the time to visit me." His voice was somewhere between harsh and normal. _

_The voice sent several shivers through the nine-year-olds body, increasing her wish to go back home. Caroline noticed her daughter's behavior and pushed her to her front. May looked down, avoiding any eye contact with the man that was for her the pure devil._

"_Sorry Giovanni, but May needs some time to get used to new people." Mrs. Maple shook her daughter a bit, hoping that she would stop with that. _

"_That's okay." The man smirked. "I think we'll have a lot of time to get used to each other." _

_May almost went pale by that statement, but she had promised her mother to give this man a chance. In her opinion, however, was that chance already done. _

"_Can we come in?" Caroline asked. Giovanni only stepped to the side, inviting his 'guests'. Caroline had to push her daughter into the house, knowing that her daughter could have a hot temper at times. _

_In the corridor, they met another girl. She had long, pink/purple hair and seemed to be two years older than May. _

"_This is my precious daughter Jesse. Isn't she a beauty?" Giovanni asked. For him this was a rhetorical question, but he liked to hear that he had a wonderful daughter. _

"_Yes, she is really nice." Caroline answered. May simple nodded, not leaving her mother' side. _

"_Jesse and May, could you play in the living room. We'll prepare the dinner for you." Giovanni suggested, wanting to seduce Caroline without her daughter around. The Maples were a wealthy family and that was his reason to hook himself up with her._

_May didn't move one inch, holding onto her mother' dress. Caroline, however, shoved her daughter into the living room. Jesse followed with an annoyed look on her face, she couldn't care less about this woman and this girl. _

"_No need to worry May. It won't take very long and I'm sure that you and Jesse have a lot in common." Mrs. Maple again messed up her daughter' hair before she left with a smile. _

_May tried to style her hair again, ignoring Jesse completely. The pink-head however, wasn't pleased with this 'disrespect'._

"_You can stop! Your hair looks stupid anyway." Jesse said her opinion, not thinking about the feelings of others. Jesse put her hand onto her hips and smiled._

"_What? Why did you say that?" May was slightly hurt by that comment, brushing her hand through her brown hair. _

"_It's everything! Look at your hair! Why is it split like that?" Jesse motioned the upside V-style of May' hair. _

"_Hey! It's always been like that!" The brunette' face filled with anger, heating up in her rage. Her voice reached high-pitched tones, but it wasn't loud enough to be heard in the kitchen. _

"_And look at your face! How old are you? Five?" Jesse continued with her rant, embarrassing the nice girl in front of her. The purple-haired girl lifted her head up, looking down at her smaller 'friend'. _

"_I'M NINE for your information and my mother always says that I'm very pretty!" May couldn't control her outburst, but the first tears started to fall down her cheeks. _

"_Your mother isn't any better than you!" Jesse stated and walked towards her room, leaving the little May on her own. _

_May wiped her tears away and sat down, pulling her legs to her chest. She didn't like that man and she definitely didn't like Jesse at all. Hoping that this visit would be a one-time-thing she waited in silence on the floor. _

_/End Flashback/ _

Her first meeting would turn out to be the best of them. Over the next years, Giovanni and Caroline came closer and May was forced to spent more time with Jesse, much to her dismay.

"I don't know what I should think. Is it possible that Giovanni is a criminal? I know that he is a asshole …. But I never expected that he is something like that." May murmured, occasionally bumping into some person.

"Sorry." May always apologized, but sometimes she got bad names to hear, but the brunette didn't care.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she arrived at her school, awaiting her best friend in front of it. The blunette waited eagerly for her friend. Eevee was in her arms again, because the little troublemaker refused to stay at home.

"Hi May." Dawn put the little fox onto the ground before hugging her best friend. May, however, didn't return the embrace, confusing the blunette.

"Is everything alright?" Dawn tilted her head to see May' face and she saw that the brunette was lost in thoughts. She snapped her fingers in front of May' face, scaring her lightly. She jumped a bit to the back.

"Oh, hello Dawn. I didn't spot you!" May answered with a slightly unsure tone. Dawn looked very puzzled, because May' wasn't the person who spaced out like that.

"I also hugged you seconds ago May! " Dawn put her hands onto her hips with great concern in her voice. The brunette was surprised and giggled lightly.

"Sorry Dawn, I have something on my mind!" May looked very upset, but it vanished instantly when Eevee jumped up to her. The evolution Pokémon immediately cuddled with her favorite human, cooing softly.

"And what should that be?" Dawn asked curiously. Now that Eevee was out of her arms, she crossed her arms, tilting her head to the side again.

"Nothing important …" May decided not to tell Dawn anything yet. There was always the possibility that her assumption was wrong and she knew that the blunette was the overprotective one.

"If you say so, but let's go! It's rare that we play a ball game at our school. We'll have a lot of fun today May." Dawn grabbed May' arm and pulled her to the playground behind the school. Although they were already seventeen both of them loved to play.

The reason could be that May had a terrible stepfather and Dawn had to help her parents with their farm all day, reducing their free time dramatically.

Both girls and Eevee ran to the backyard, meeting the other students. Everything was ready for a nice day and nobody expected something bad.

Outside the school, inside a dark alley ….

"Why isn't the school on fire yet?" An unknown high-pitched voice said. His face was covered by the shadows, not allowing a look at it.

"How the hell should I know?" The second voice shouted. His face was also covered by the darkness, however , his voice was much deeper than the first one.

"Didn't the boss paid this thief guild to take care of it?" He turned to his 'partner' and nudged him slightly.

"Don't touch me you lower insect!" He pushed the obviously smaller one to the wall. There seemed to be a class difference between the two men.

"Ouch! Ok, Ok! What should we do now? I mean : No fire, no plan!" The man looked to the bright street, scratching the back of his head.

"Don't know. But we can't bring this 'thing' into the palace as long as all these idiots weren't distracted!" The dark voice filled with anger. The tall man clenched his fists and hit the wall, leaving a mark on it.

"Should we contact Butch?" He said with a low tone, fearing the rage of the merchant. Unknown for him, there wasn't anything to fear anymore.

"I'm sure that he'll be mad as hell!" At this point, you could spot four eyes within the alley.

"Let's get over with it!" Both of them disappeared in the shadows, stopping their diabolic plan for the moment.

* * *

On top of Ash' hideout ….

* * *

The majestic Pokémon Pidgeot landed on the roof of the former guild. Everyone jumped off and stretched their legs after the long and partly uncomfortable flight with the giant bird.

"Thank you Pidgeot!" Ash patted the back of his best flying friend. The normal-type squealed with happiness that he could help his master before pulling his legs to his body and 'sitting' on the roof, resting.

"Come on, you two!" Ash climbed down a ladder that was positioned on the wall of the house, connecting roof and ground with each other.

"Ok master/Pi Pikapi!" The yellow rodent and the aura Pokémon followed their master, although Lucario had to carry Pikachu to the ground. The electro-type wasn't very skilled at climbing ladders.

When Lucario entered the 'guild', he spotted his master at a table, writing some sort of letter. After previous assassinations, Ash always relaxed and showed off, but this time he seemed to be more worried than he was before the murder.

"Everything alright master? You killed this Butch, right?" Lucario knew that the merchant had to be dead, because his master would more likely die than let someone of his victims escape.

"Yes he is dead!" The assassin whispered, not removing his gaze from the letter.

"Did you get any information?" The blue creature approached his master while Pikachu decided to jump on the table, sitting next the letter. His eyes grew wide with curiosity when he saw that the letter already had thirty lines and it didn't seem that Ash intended to stop very soon.

"I got a lot of information, maybe too much …." Ash' voice trailed off. Lucario sharpened his eyes, filling them with suspicious.

"You sound weak, master? Did you got new wounds?" Lucario examined his master' body, looking for new wounds. Ash, feeling annoyed by that, pushed Lucario slightly away.

"No time for that Lucario! I have to finish the letter before I sent Pidgeot to Masyaf again!" Ash said very quickly, though swallowing half of the information.

"I know that you have to write master Oak but why are you in such a hurry? And why did you use Pidgeot for this errand? Couldn't you just use a Pidgey?" The aura Pokémon had many questions.

Ash put the pencil to the side, resting his head on his hands. The assassin went with his hands through his hair, pulling his hood off.

"There are some things that needed immediately attention, Lucario. You know this merchant Butch." Lucario nodded. "He was part of an organization we thought was gone for good." Ash finished, turning to his aura Pokémon. The yellow rodent beneath him jumped onto his head, comforting him a bit.

"An organization? Do you mean some sort of guild?" Lucario asked confused. He wasn't long enough a member of the brotherhood to know their old 'enemies'.

"No, Lucario. It's much worse than that. They call themselves Templar and they seek for the exact opposite of us assassins." Ash scratched Pikachu' chin, receiving a coo from the small mouse.

"Uh …. Templar? …. " Lucario didn't find the right words. He never heard from this group before, but he knew that they were a danger. He had never seen his master in such a stern form.

"I'll explain the details later, but I have to sent Pidgeot to master Oak immediately. With luck he will be back tomorrow evening!" The assassin took the letter, folded it several times, put it into an envelope, and made a seal on it before he went to the door again.

Pikachu held onto his master' hair, but one of his feet unintentionally landed on Ash' left shoulder. The black-haired killer winched in pain. Lucario instantly rushed to him and looked at his 'newest' wound. It was a clean cut across the shoulder, seemingly injuring the collarbone of Ash.

"It hurt a bit more than I expected." The assassin always underestimated his wounds, endangering his life several times in the past.

"Could you give Pidgeot the letter? Tell him that he should bring it to master Oak and then he should return with the respond as quickly as possible!" Ash put the letter into the palms of Lucario before sending him off to the bird. Ash knew that Pidgeot was still hurt, but it was an emergency and they had no time to waste.

"Okay, master and after that I will care for your wounds." Lucario planned and Ash didn't complain, knowing that Lucario would do it anyways.

The aura Pokémon went to the roof and told Pidgeot what he had to do. The bird nodded without hesitation and took off, flying right into the direction of Kanto. Lucario looked after him until he was out of eyesight. After that, Lucario rushed back to the house, spotting his master on a chair. Pikachu had an expression that told that he felt guilty to hurt his master.

Ash seemed to feel his Pokémon's guilt and scratched him behind his ear. "It's not your fault Pikachu! Your little tap only reminded me of that wound but it didn't make it worse."

"Master?" Lucario caught his master' attention. "Pidgeot told me that he'll do his best. It could be that he'll return tomorrow afternoon or evening. It depends on master Oak." Ash face showed a smile, knowing that he could rely on his Pokémon at any time.

"And what do we do now?" Lucario kneeled down, waiting for his master' decision.

"Considered that Pidgeot won't return until tomorrow afternoon I think we should rest and looking around for more information." The assassin stood up and walked to the pantry. His stomach already growled, demanding food.

The whole evening Ash and his 'friends' ate, dank and talked about their experiences so far. Ash laughed when Pikachu told him, it was translated by Lucario, that he was chased by a small fox. The part of the yellow rodent when he laid under Eevee literally made Ash laughing on the floor.

And even Lucario couldn't suppress a chuckle. Pikachu was ashamed but he showed also signs of a blush on his face that connected his two red cheeks with another.

The evening passed without any noticeable events. After cleaning and caring for Ash' wound Lucario extinguished all candlelight's before all three of them went to bed.

Again, they lived and slept in the shadows ….

* * *

**End of chapter 6 and in my opinion, you got more questions than answers in this one. Like I said, I will include Paul in this story, because of his 'cold' character. I know that my chapters always have a strong beginning but a weak ending. I don't know why that happens. **

**Some things for understandings: **

**- Why ran Butch into the tower anyway? Good question, next question. **

**- Ash wasn't very lucky with his bow recently**

**- Drake is a good guy but he thought that Ash was attacking him**

**- Ash already got quiet a few wounds**

**- No use of his new throwing knifes? Save it for a later assassination.**

**- When Ash jumped off the tower he used a move that you could call 'Shooting Star'. It's a wrestling-type move but I described it enough so you don't have to know it from there**

**- Pidgeot as slow as a Salamence? The normal-type was still slightly hurt**

**- How high will Ash' first bounty be? You can guess if you want**

**- The plan of the templar backfired**

**- Giovanni will really be pissed off**

**- I try to have the first meeting of Ash and May in the next chapter**

**A slow story so far. I have to introduce more character, because most of the talks happen between two people. It lacks of variety.**

**Please don't flame, because it's obviously what couples and shippings are in this story.**

**Please review. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Here is the next chapter of 'Life in the shadows' and I have to admit that I cannot wait to write chapters where Ash and May are together. Not as a couple at first but in the same locations and I can tell you that they won't come along at first. I reveal too much and you could be surprised who Ash' next victim is (or not). Story is rated M for bad language, blood, death, murder and violence. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or Assassin's Creed**

**R&R!**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Throne room of the palace …..

* * *

The palace of Petalburg was indeed a sensation of its own, outshining every other building of the city with ease. The large entrance gate showed much artistic skill, seemingly reminding of the past of the kingdom. As much portrayals were there as much guards were there also.

Commander Drake went along the corridor of the palace, surpassing the guards that looked with dismay at him. However, they had to bow down for him as a duty. The corridor was brightened by the sun that shone through the large windows, making it impossible to use shadows as an ally.

The second most powerful man entered the throne room, looking for the person that wanted a war against Kanto.

King Cyrus, king of Hoenn for about 2 years, sat on his golden throne. Although he wasn't a descendant of the royal family, Cyrus was chosen for the duty by the 'folk'. Lance; the last king, disappeared without a trace and after some months there was a need of a new king, resulting in the voting.

Every one of Cyrus's 'men' relied on his decisions with the exception of a certain commander. The tension between these two men was always perceptible.

"Oh, it's you …" The king wasn't pleased to see this 'good' person in front of him. Drake was the only person who didn't need to request for an audience with the king to meet him.

"Good to see you, Cyrus!" The sarcasm in his voice wasn't very well hidden by him. Drake rarely called the man in front of him king, because his king was still 'Lance'.

"What owes me this pleasure?" Cyrus rested his head onto his hand, awaiting another speech about liberty and freedom from Drake.

"I'll come to the point, Cyrus! Your precious Butch is dead!" The commander crossed his arms, looking at the king' expression. When Lance disappeared, Cyrus wasn't very worried about his whereabouts and it should be interested to watch how he reacts about a 'real' death of his most loyal follower.

"WHAT?!" The king immediately jumped to his feet and clenched his fists. His expression on his face changed in an instant, changing from boredom to anger.

"It's really tragic, but we should at first look for a replace for him." Drake explained. He intentionally didn't tell King Cyrus more about the 'death'.

"How did he die? Was it an accident?" Cyrus ignored Drake' statement, being in a rage of anger. The king' 'heart' had more to do than the last 2 years. His pulse veins were visible.

"No! He was assassinated on top of the belfry." The word 'assassinated' seemed to affect the king in a big way. His expression changed again, this time to a shocked one.

"Assassinated?" Cyrus repeated in disbelief. "Did you see the murderer?" He took two more steps towards Drake and his boredom had disappeared completely.

"Actually I fought against him and I have to admit that he was very good, although he was wounded." Drake relived the events that occurred a few hours prior. Secretly Drake was surprised that the king was so interested in that death of a merchant.

"How did he look like?" Cyrus wanted to assure himself. However, his anger seemed to disappear slightly and he walked back to his throne.

"He wore a white cloak and the white hood was pulled deep down his face. I couldn't see his face." Drake' comments let Cyrus frown.

" …." The king seemed to be deep in thought, occasionally crunching with his teeth. Why should one murder affect him that badly?

"It should be enough to issue a wanted poster to find him eventually. A bounty of about 5000 Poké should be enough in my opinion and ….." The commander was interrupted by the king who yelled at him.

"That's not enough! I demand a bounty of about 15000 Poké!" Cyrus knocked very hard with his fist on the rest of his throne. His eyes were filled with determination, implying that there was no way that the murderer would come away with that.

Drake was shocked, raising an eyebrow. He assumed that there have to be a special connection between the king and this Butch. A connection that was hidden from everyone.

"Isn't that too much? I mean, he 'only' killed a merchant and a few guards. The bounty you want to suspend on him is usually for men who tried to murder someone of the royal family." Drake motioned with his hands, supporting his speech. However, it didn't seem to reach the king' mind.

"It's my money! I can decide how high the bounty will be!" Cyrus yelled again, raising his nose to new heights.

"It's your decision, but I don't know why Butch was so important for you!" The commander scratched the back of the head while closing his eyes. He shook his head and started to walk away.

The king mumbled something under his breath that you could interpret as 'None of your business'.

"Don't turn your back one me as long as I have still something to say!" He ordered. The guards on the entrance gate blocked the way for the commander, not moving an inch.

Drake turned around to listen to this bullshit of speech. It was obvious that the war veteran only listened with one ear.

"You'll go to this stupid artist! What was his name? Something like Tracey da Vinci or so …." The king placed his fingers under his chin, thinking about it again. "He will draw a picture of the murderer and since you saw him you'll describe him to this artist idiot!"

Drake slightly nodded before he pushed one of the guards to the side, leaving this room filled with idiots.

After Drake had left, Cyrus yelled his next order to his servants. "I want to see Saturn, Mars and Jupiter right now! No excuses!" The underlings of him ran across the throne room, leaving it before they searched for the people of the king's desire.

During the day, there was a noticeable higher activity inside the castle.

* * *

At May's house again ….. Afternoon ….

* * *

The day worked like a medicine for May who could finally get her mind of Giovanni's terror'. The brunette walked towards her house, hoping to have a quiet evening alongside Jesse. However, that was a dream and it would be a dream.

The day contained many events and some of them were on May's mind at that point. During the ball game in their school, they spotted some Pokémon in the air that seemed to battle with each other. May still remembered that scene because she got a second reason to remember it.

_/Flashback/_

_The twenty girls of the public girls school had decided to play a dodge ball game. The rules were simple: Three balls, two teams, 10 players. To win the game one team had to run out of players while the other team still had some. The girls try to throw the ball against a player of the opposite team and if the ball touched the ground after that, the player who was hit was out of the game. But if a player caught a ball, the player who threw that ball was out of the match and a player of the opposite team was allowed to reenter the game again. _

_May and Dawn were in the same team, increasing their desire to win that game. Both of them loved that game, but this time their team hadn't much luck. All members of their team were out of the match with the exception of May. The girl tried to catch a ball to allow Dawn to come to her aid, but she always dodged them instead. _

_Suddenly they heard a loud growl, forcing most of them to look up. In the sky they saw two flying Pokémon. _

"_Hey Dawn! Isn't that the bird we saw yesterday?" May turned around to Dawn who nodded slightly. _

_The large bird was followed by a dragon-like creature that shot flames out of his mouth. Most of the girls were amazed by that spectacle and May could swear that she saw a Pikachu on Pidgeot`s back, along with two other people._

_May got bad luck when all of the three balls rolled onto the field of the opposite team while the brunette was still looking to the sky and the 'fight'._

"_MAY! WATCH OUT!" Dawn yelled to her friend, but it was in vain. _

_May, who wasn't paying much attention to that game anymore, looked back to the game. Right in that moment three balls hit her at the same time: One in her stomach, one on her thigh and the last one right in her face. _

_The Eevee-fan fell on her back, seemingly knocked out by that blow. The game was over and the opposite team celebrated their victory while Dawn ran to her fallen friend. _

"_May! Are you okay?" Dawn helped her friend to a sitting position, resting her arm around her neck. _

"_Whathappenedhere? May was completely confused, cracking up her statement. Dawn threw a death glare to the three girls that hit her friend so badly. _

"_May? How many fingers am I holding up?" Dawn wanted to see if her friend was able to concentrate after that gruel hit. _

"_Uh … eight?" May wasn't right, but it wasn't a surprise that she saw everything doubled. Dawn, who was holding four fingers up, shook her head and let her friend to a nearby bench. _

_/End of Flashback/_

May rubbed her nose, still feeling the pain. Fortunately, it wasn't broken, but she was sure that she would feel the hits for a few days.

Finally, she was at 'home', standing in front of her house that reminded her so much of her family. She opened the door and entered the house.

Secretly she hoped that nobody was at home, however, she could hear Jesse from her room. The purple head seemed to be frustrated with something, but May couldn't care less about Jesse' problems. The brunette started her walk upstairs.

Before she opened her room, she heard that the front door opened up again. It was followed by a loud smashing noise and May could almost feel the angry steps of the man downstairs.

It didn't take long before the first dialog started and it was of course between the two other residents of the house: Jesse and Giovanni.

May, who didn't want to be involved in any arguments between these two, entered her room and closed the door without a noise. Recently she always had eaten things that Dawn brought for her to school; therefore, she could allow herself to stay away from dinner.

Unfortunately, for May, the conversation between these two contained some important and live-changing facts.

"What's wrong daddy?" Jesse said, emerging from her room. The teenager had tried to use a new hat but her hair wasn't right for this, angering her.

"WHAT'S WRONG?" Giovanni exclaimed, startling Jesse and tearing her up. It was rare that the templar-father yelled at his daughter, but something was on his mind.

"Sorry, my princess!" The brown-haired man comforted his daughter, hugging her slightly with one arm. However, Jesse wasn't far from finished with her crying.

"Please stop, Jesse! I'll also buy you that new dress you wanted!" Giovanni wasn't the best day, although he gave his daughter many presents. However, it could turn out bad if you buy your children's love with money. At least it worked on Jesse.

"Thank you, daddy." The dress-loving girl hugged her dad, shaking off every sign of sadness.

"Okay, Jesse." The templar freed himself from his daughter's grip, but kept his stern mood.

"Is May already at home?" Giovanni asked, looking up the stairs.

"I don't know, I didn't hear anything." Jesse replied, gazing at her father. The face of him really told his own story and the purple head wasn't eager to know it.

" ….." Giovanni was deep in thought and it was connected with May. Something had to change, however it had to be prepared with a lot of care. You couldn't do any crime in this city without being punished.

"Dad? Why does May live with us anyway?" Someone would punch Jesse in the face for that statement, but her father educated her to that behavior. The child couldn't be blamed for her own stupidity.

"There are some reasons that she lives with us, Jesse. However, these reasons won't last for long anymore." The stepfather sat on his armchair, resting his feet.

"What do you mean?" Sometimes Jesse showed the curiosity of a small child. The adolescent approached the chair of her father, resting her arms on its rest.

"I mean that we have to get rid of 'these' reasons, otherwise we could get problems. I thought that I could wait some more weeks, but after the disaster of today I need a successful experience." The man smiled an evil smile, making him even scarier than he is already.

"That would be great dad!" Jesse giggled. Their cat Persian approached the scene, looking for attention. With all of her 'cuteness' the cat tried to become the focus of the room, however, it failed big time when Giovanni pushed her away.

"I know. I can't just wait to get rid of that bastard." Giovanni laughed, not a normal laugh but the laugh of a completely insane.

* * *

Next day …. With Ash, Lucario and Pikachu …..

* * *

Ash's first day in Petalburg without a current target started already with the sunrise. The assassin was woken up by a certain yellow Pokémon that couldn't make his own foot, however, Lucario wasn't able to find the right food for the rodent either , forcing him along with Pikachu to wake Ash up.

"What's up, Lucario?" Ash rubbed his eyes, trying to get rid of his tiredness. It was a rare sight to see the 'master' without his hood, but his messy, black hair was always the same. His new scar across his eye didn't make him uglier and some women could be attracted by that.

"Master, we don't have any Pokémon food and your little rodent here annoys me to dead!" The aura Pokémon pointed to the restless mouse Pokémon on the ground that ran round for round around the bed.

"A kingdom for a rope!" Ash pleaded, folding his hands. Both Lucario and Pikachu didn't know how to understand that statement. Either Ash wanted to commit suicide or he wanted to tie Pikachu somewhere with the rope.

"Uh …. Okay ….. Do you have any plans for today, master?" The fighting type changed the topic, realizing that it wasn't a good idea to disturb his master any further with the 'rodent incident'.

"To be honest! I don't know." The assassin sat on the edge of the bed, crossing his arms. Suddenly his stomach growled and it was clear what Ash wanted to do first.

"I understand!" Lucario bowed, understanding Ash' growling stomach as a command. The assassin blushed slightly at his behavior and his 'addiction' to food. Pikachu, the clueless wonder, didn't get it, but insisted that he would get food as well.

"Let's see if we find something for you." Ash patted his yellow fur Pokémon on the head before walking downstairs. He could already smell something and he knew that Lucario cooked something.

It wasn't a secret that Ash knew how to kill someone, but he wasn't able to cook for his life.

"Breakfast will be ready in five minutes, master!" It was always a funny scene when Lucario cooked, but at least he could do so, unlike an other Pokémon in this house.

"Thanks a lot." The assassin took a seat next to the table. It's noticeable that he didn't wear his assassin clothes yet, making the scene rather weird.

Pikachu jumped onto the table in front of Ash, holding his stomach. It was followed by a bump onto the back and finished with a roll over the table. The little mouse was starving.

"Take this!" Ash gave his Pokémon a bread, hoping to calm that nuisance down. Pikachu gave him a strange look in return before it snapped the bread away from him.

"I know! I know! I will buy some Pokémon food today." Ash buried his face into his hands. Sometimes he asked himself if the rodent was worth it.

Pikachu immediately did that what you awaited from a rodent, gnawing.

"Food is ready, master!" Lucario gave his master some eggs, bread, honey and milk. It wasn't the best meal of the world, but it was enough to stay fit.

"Thanks again!" The assassin ate some bites, eating rather slowly for his standards. It wasn't that bad that Ash didn't knew anything about his 'new wanted poster', but he was almost a 'celebrity' by now.

"To come back to my question, master! What do we do today?" Lucario took a seat himself, grabbing the nearest chair.

"Like I said I will get some Pokémon food and we have to consider that Pidgeot won't come back until afternoon or evening, leaving us with a lot of free time." Ash said while swallowing his breakfast eggs.

"Do you think master Oak has a solution for this 'templar' problem?" With Lucario, there wouldn't be any silent minute, even if you didn't have anything to talk about.

"I think so, he's the master after all." Ash finished his honey bread, patting his stomach. "Nevertheless I will visit Meowth and ask him for some information." Ash stood up, preparing for the upcoming visit to ''Rock the bar'.

"Okay master, I'll go with you then." Lucario carried the plates to a large wooden barrel, seemingly for the washing-up.

"No Lucario. It's better if you stay here in case that Pidgeot comes back early!" Ash blocked the way for his Pokémon, insisting that he stayed here.

Lucario crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. For him it seemed that there was also another reason that he should stay here.

"Is that really the reason, master? Or don't you want to pay the dog license fee for me at Meowth's bar?" Lucario looked straight into his master' eyes, however he couldn't see any sign of a lie.

"I'm not that mean Lucario!" Ash defended himself, smiling at Lucario. Pikachu jumped onto his master' shoulder and stack out his tongue towards Lucario, starting some sort of rivalry with the aura Pokémon.

"Okay master, but please don't do anything stupid! You're still hurt!" Lucario received a small chuckled from Ash before the assassin left the house along with Pikachu.

Lucario turned around, looking for something that he could do as long as his master was away.

On the road with Pikachu and Ash …..

This was the first time that the rodent saw the town from this perspective. Some inhabitants, however, looked strange at the man and his electro-type Pokémon. Either it wasn't usual to see a Pikachu here or it wasn't usual to see a man like Ash have some Pokémon like that.

It was still very early and most people weren't awake or just half-awake. The assassin could see occasionally a smith who yawned or a baker who scratched his head. It had to be past seven or so, but most of the people were still asleep.

"It's strange Pikachu." Ash told his Pokémon on his shoulder. "It almost seemed that the people in this city don't feel like starting very early. "Pikachu let out a small 'Pika' in response.

What Ash didn't saw was the fact that some people started to nail some posters on the walls. These posters featured a picture and a monetary amount. Some people started to look at that picture and immediately turned around, looking for a person that they spotted only a few seconds ago, however, the assassin was already gone.

After a few minutes, Ash and Pikachu reached the bar of Meowth and the rodent started to snicker a bit when it spotted the 'dog sign' at the front door.

* * *

Inside the bar ….

* * *

A familiar cat was reading the newspaper, flicking through the sheets. Meowth who didn't have a house besides the bar always opened very early, knowing that there won't any guests at this time.

The bar had changed since the last time we saw it though. The whole furnishings seemed to be replaced by new equipment, making the room rather nice-looking. However, it kept his charm of a Wild West bar.

The cat Pokémon again flicked a page and the next articled caught the cat's attention. It was rarely that he read something in the newspaper that he didn't know already, but this was something different.

"Hey, Surge! Look at this!" The former lieutenant, who was sitting on his regular place, lifted his head of the table. It looked like he was sleeping, but the tension that he had with that cat seemed to be vanished over the last two days.

"Didn't I tell you that you shouldn't wake me up before midday?" Surge answered with the harsh voice of his.

"I know and you know that I wouldn't wake you up unless I have a good reason for it." The barkeeper raised his voice and waged with the newspaper.

"Don't tell me … yawn … that you found something interesting in that newspaper?" The blonde man joked, standing up from his table.

"I bet that you would be surprised to read this!" Meowth started and put his paw onto the table, shooting a glare towards the soldier.

"I bet that I won't be surprised and if I win you'll give me a drink on cost of the house!" Surge and Meowth always started to bet about the most senseless things.

"Okay, but if I win you'll install this new device I have bought!" Meowth answered. Paw met hand and the bet was official.

Surge took the newspaper from Meowth, almost tasting the drink. However, his face turned light pale when he saw that article Meowth was pointing to.

"Is that the guy I think it is?" Surge put his finger on that picture and the cat nodded in response. The shocked impression fainted very soon and was replaced by a big smirk on his face. What were these two up to?

They were interrupted in there evil smiles when the door opened, revealing the familiar face. Ash and Pikachu entered the bar with Pikachu looking curiously around.

"Good morning Meowth! I knew that you are already awake and before you say anything : This here is a mouse and not a dog!" Ash pointed towards the yellow rodent on his shoulder. He received a strange look from the mouse.

They didn't received an answer, but Meowth and Surge looked at each other and nodded. The assassin was puzzled by that reaction and approached the two guys.

"Hey Meowth, it's me! I gave you that money two days ago and I have to mark that you used it very good. " The assassin looked around, admiring the new equipment of this bar. For his surprise, he didn't receive an answer this time. Meowth and Surge instead whispered something to each other, but Ash could see on their faces that it have to be something funny.

As Ash reached the table, he punched with one fist onto it, demanding for attention.

"What's up guys? Surge, are you still mad that I defeated you in that arm wrestling match?" Ash smirked, recalling the event that forced Surge to work for Meowth more or less.

Again, no reply from the barkeeper and his 'assistant'. However, Ash was suddenly caught from behind, being hold by his arms. Pikachu jumped of Ash' shoulder and the first sparks appeared from his cheeks.

"What is this shit about?" Ash struggled to get free, but Surge was holding on him with his height advantage. The assassin was almost put into a Full nelson hold before he was lifted up and that increased the pain in his neck and shoulder.

Ash bite his lip, not showing any weakness. Pikachu was about to shock this blonde man, but Meowth interrupted him.

"You shouldn't even think about that you rodent!" The cat yelled at the mouse, smirking. It seemed to be a hopeless situation for Ash, but why should Meowth turn on him? The electro-type decided to back down for now.

" When you arrived two days ago we didn't know that you would be such a celebrity by now!" Meowth hold the newspaper in front of Ash's face. The assassin looked at the page, turning a bit pale at the amount of money that you would get when you caught him.

The page feature a picture of a hooded man, consisting of the head and the upper body of him. Under the drawing, you could read the description : Dead or Alive! 15.000 Poké reward!

That was indeed a lot of money. A normal bread of the baker cost three Poké, meaning that you could buy five thousands of them for the assassin's capture.

The smirks on the faces of the cat and Surge widened while the lieutenant strengthen his grip on their prisoner. Meowth extended his claws, ready to take action. It would only take seconds until Ash was out and he thought he could trust these two.

Meowth prepared for the attack, but before he hit Ash, the cat started to laugh. The Surge also started to laugh, leaving Ash and Pikachu with puzzled faces.

"You should see your face! It's priceless ha-ha …." Meowth always fell of the chair. The lieutenant released the Full nelson hold and Ash fell onto the ground, holding his injured shoulder again. However, he had more questions than before.

"Don't you want to deliver me to the guards?" Ash stood up and Pikachu occupied his place on Ash's good shoulder. Both of them frowned at the antics of the two bizarre people.

"Why should we? It's great that finally someone took action and showed the king that we have enough of his rules and appointments!" The cat returned to his normal self, clearing his throat. The blonde man fell back into his seat, still amused by that seen.

"Uh …. " Ash didn't know how to answer, although he was relieved that he wouldn't be out cold.

"I have to admit that I never expected you to kill this Butch, but I'm glad that you did!" The barkeeper took one of his whine bottles and filled three glasses with it.

"Thank you, I guess." Ash tilted his head, not fully convinced that they take his 'wanted poster' so easy.

"Let's drink one! Maybe this is the first sign of recovery of this city!" Meowth took a glass and so did Surge and Ash. The barkeeper made a gesture, meaning 'cheers' before they drank their respective alcohol.

After putting their glasses onto the table again, Meowth started to ask. "I think that you have a reason that you come to us again!?" The statement reminded Ash that he wanted indeed some information.

"You're right, Meowth!" Ash started, cleaning his mouth from the rest of liquid. "I hoped that you could tell me the names of people that worked very close with this Butch." The dead merchant would turn around in his grave if he knew that everyone pronounced his name the right way after he was killed.

"Of course I knew some, but do you want someone specific?" The barkeeper cleaned the glasses that they had use for the alcohol just seconds prior.

"Not yet! But I want to be up to date, you know." Ash put his arms on the table, relieving his shoulder from the pain a bit.

"In that case I can tell you that he was close with the king, someone called James, Giovanni and the whole merchant guild of this town. Sorry, but I don't remember all of their names." Meowth sighed, knowing that he wouldn't be such a great help.

"Interesting, thank you Meowth, but I have to go!" Ash was forced to leave because a certain rodent reminded him to buy some food for him. However, before he left the table Ash throw some coins onto the table, thanking Meowth for his help.

"See you later!" Ash lifted his hand, winking good-bye. Meowth took that money, again thankful for the generosity of that man.

"I assume that we'll read a lot of interesting articles in the next time." Meowth threw a look to the newspaper that was still on the table. The surge slightly nodded.

"Now back to our work, Surge! I have this new device and you'll install it right now." Meowth put a packet on the bar, but it wasn't visible what it was.

"Why should I do that?" The lieutenant replied, putting his legs on the bar while leaning backwards.

"Because you lost that bet and now move your fat ass!" Meowth threatened the blonde man, who could only sigh. Betting debts were debts of honor after all.

* * *

Outside of the bar …

* * *

"It seems that we have to use the dark alleys now." Ash sighed, remembering the enormous bounty that was put on him. Pikachu leaned forward to look under the hood of his master, giving him a thumps up.

"You're right Pikachu! We're assassins and that means that we work in the dark, to serve the light." The old rules of the brotherhood was burned into Ash's mind forever.

The assassin turned into the direction of the nearest alley, but Pikachu stopped him again. Between a series of 'Pika's' the yellow rodent pointed to a shop that sold Pokémon food.

"Oh yeah, I already forgot." Ash chuckled, leading Pikachu to face palm.

They approached the shop, hoping that the vendor didn't read the newspaper. In front of the shop were many sacks filled with food. After some moments, the seller appeared from the back, welcoming the guests.

"How can I help you?" The woman asked and it was clear that she didn't know about Ash so far. The hood of the assassin covered his relieved expression, but he should hurry nevertheless.

"I need some Pokémon food for my Pikachu." Ash pointed to his passenger on his shoulder. The electro-type smiled at the vendor, hoping to get extra good food.

"You're lucky! We just received a new delivery. May I ask what type your Pokémon is?" The blue haired woman looked at her two guests.

"It's an electro-type." Ash replied. The woman immediately took one of the sacks and placed it onto the table.

"This are 10 pounds of the best Pokémon food that we have for electro-types." The vendor stated proudly and Pikachu wanted already some of it, but Ash held him back.

"Okay, I take it! How much?" ash looked for his pocket.

"That would be 15 Poké please!" The woman smiled, accepting the money from the hooded man.

Pikachu heard it and thought about the possibility of getting thousand bags if he delivers Ash to the guards. Somehow, Ash knew what his Pokémon was thinking.

"Don't dare you to trade me against food." Ash threatened his Pokémon. The yellow rodent rubbed the back of his head, looking very innocent.

The assassin took the bag and placed it under his arm. However, at the same moment three guards turned around the corner, spotting the wanted man. The look on Ash's face said it all.

"STOP THERE RIGHT NOW!" A guard yelled towards Ash, startling the vendor a bit. The woman looked puzzled why the guards searched for this nice guy.

'O shit' No reason to explain why Ash said that. In an instant, he rushed away from the shop, still holding the food of Pikachu who would kill him if he let his behind.

The guards started their chase, passing the shop and following the killer.

* * *

Inside the town … shortly before noon ….

* * *

"Come on, May! We only have two hours until our first subject and I want to see through the shops." Dawn yelled at May, who had Eevee in her arms again.

"We don't have any money to buy something, Dawn!" May yelled back. She felt forced to join her friend here. Of course, she liked shopping and she knew that she would be a shopaholic if she had enough money to buy something.

"It's no big deal. We will just browse through the stuff." The blunette pushed her brown-haired friend into the shops. Sometimes May got lucky when it wasn't allowed to carry Pokémon into the shops and she had to wait with Eevee in front of it. She didn't mind though.

It took Dawn over an hour to browse through every shop of the main road. Nevertheless, they still had one hour to spent and May suggested to use it to rest their legs.

"Sometimes it's hard to believe that you are a girl, May!" Dawn teased her friend. It was true that the brunette wasn't the most girlish one, but she wasn't very tomboyish either.

"Look! There is a bench." May pointed to a bench that was located in the shadow of a house, protecting them from the sun. Dawn, who couldn't spot another shop, agreed to sit down.

The brunette, if you look at the bench from the front, sat on the right side and Dawn chose the left side, leaving a great amount of space between them. The fox Pokémon jumped into May's lap and rolled into a ball, resting her ears and legs from the day.

* * *

On the top of a house ….

* * *

The chase wasn't over after Ash had managed to climb a house. During the chase, Ash noticed that these guards seemed to be different from the one's he usually dealt with. They were more persistent and well trained or is the reason that they didn't give up was the bounty that was put on him?

Unfortunately, the guards had tamed several Spearows that helped them and with them, it was almost impossible to get rid of his followers.

"They're really a pain in the ass, Pikachu!" Ash yelled. The yellow Pokémon still sat on the shoulder, not removing his gaze from the Pokémon food. The assassin sweat dropped and asked himself what the priorities of his partner were?

With the bag in his hands, Ash was very limited in his climbing-skills , enabling him to climb into the windows of nearby houses. However, the dark-haired trainer always knew an innovative way out of this.

'It's maybe food for electro-types but …' Ash thought and looked at the bag in his hands.

Pikachu almost screamed when Ash ripped one corner of the bag before he started to throw some of it to the back. The yellow rodent looked in horror when his master used 'his' food as a sort of lure for the Spearows. Unfortunately, for the rodent, the birds fell for the trick and started to pick the food up.

Not able to watch any longer, Pikachu jumped off Ash' shoulder and produced a gigantic electro wave that burned and shocked all Spearows at once.

Eventually they got rid of their followers, but Pikachu used almost all of his energy to pull this attack of. Ash noticed the weakened state of his partner and picked him up, because they were still followed by the guards.

'Food is Pikachu' life? I should remember that!' Ash thought to himself while running away from the guards once more.

They reached the edge of the roof, however, there wasn't any house anymore that they could use as an escape route.

'What should I do now? A fight would be a suicide and I can't put Pikachu in that danger anyway' the assassin looked to the right, to the left and to the back. From all direction came guards and none of them seemed to be weaker than the other.

The only way was the way down, however, it wasn't possible to climb far with Pikachu and the food in his hands. The black-haired man then spotted a hay wagon on the street.

'I think it could be worse …' Ash thought, looking one last time to the back.

The assassin then jumped off the roof, rolling forwards so he fell back first into the hay. He intentionally did this to protect Pikachu from any bump that could occur. They splashed into the hay, but the wheel of the wagon was old and rotten. Therefore, it broke and the whole wagon fell to the side.

* * *

Back to May and Dawn …

* * *

The two girls sat in silence, thinking about their future when they suddenly heard a crashing noise. They both looked to the side and saw a hay wagon that laid on its side. After that, they spotted a hooded man who rolled out of the hay, seemingly holding something in his arms.

"What the hell …" May and Dawn said in union, but the stranger immediately jumped to his feet. He looked to the roof, mumbling something under his breath.

Ash had hurt his leg a bit when his leg hit the edge of the wagon when he dived in. It didn't look very good for the refugee, but then the assassin spotted the bench with the two girls and luckily, for him, they wore clothes of the same color like him.

He approach them, trying not to startle them. It had a minor chance of succession, but there wasn't any other opportunity.

Ash sat exactly between the two girls, lowering his head and covering Pikachu and the food.

May felt extremely uncomfortable by the man's presence, although she seemed interested in that guy. Dawn, instead wanted to give this stranger a piece of her mind. Who does he think he is that he could just sit down between two girls like that?

Before the blunette could open her mouth, she heard crashing noises. May and Dawn looked to the house that was located on their right side. The man, however, refused to look up.

The guards, with their heavy armors, jumped off a ladder onto the ground. Instantly they looked back and forth, but they didn't spot what they looked for.

They ran along the main road, passing the bench with the two girls and the man. From the distance, Ash looked like an old man with his two granddaughters. After all, it was a clever idea of him to bend forwards like that, although he originally did that to hid Pikachu.

The guards had passed and May looked again to this weird person. Her Eevee, however seemed to be very attracted by that man or was it something that he was holding?

The noises of the guards vanished. Dawn took that chance to start yelling.

"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?" The blunette glowed red in her danger, although there wasn't any reason. What was wrong to sit onto a bench when there was a free seat?

"Dawn, calm down!" The brunette tried to reason with Dawn, but she loosened her grip on the fox Pokémon.

Eevee, immediately, jumped to the man. She tried to squeeze into that place between the man's chest and legs. Unfortunately, the stranger wasn't very pleased with that behavior and stood up.

May, who blushed heavily at the antics of her Pokémon, caught Eevee again in her arms.

"I'm sorry sir! Normally she isn't like that." May apologized. The brunette didn't know, but something seemed to be very familiar about this man in front of her.

Dawn was in a huff, not willing to add something to this situation anymore.

Ash turned around to look at these girls, not showing any form of emotion at that time. He bowed down to them, showing his gratitude for their help to them, although they couldn't understand in which way.

For a brief second May could see the eyes of the man. They were brown and looked amazing, causing her to blush like crazy. She tried to remove her gaze and watched down, spotting yellow fur in the man's arms. Eevee again struggled to get out of her arms, but May owed enough strength to hold the fox back.

When Ash turned around, the little fox squealed something and May could see that the 'thing' between the man's arms seemed to react to that. However, both May and Ash shrugged that off. Soon the man disappeared into a dark alley, ending this awkward scenery.

For several minutes May and Dawn sat in silence. The normal-type in the brunette's arms seemed to be very upset, holding her ears down.

* * *

Back to Ash and Pikachu ….

* * *

"That was close, right Pikachu?" Ash chose the alleys to find his way back to their hideout. His leg was hurt but he didn't hobble. He was to proud about his athletic appearance to like a wounded man.

"Pikapi!" The yellow rodent almost felt refreshed. His attack on top of this house cost him a lot of energy, but the small rest between Ash's arms seemed to be enough to get him back on track.

At every crossing, the assassin looked multiple times into every direction to assure himself that there weren't any other guards. He couldn't still believe that his head was fifteen thousand Poké worth.

The way back to their hideout took several hours, because Ash often had to choose another route after seeing a guard. During his 'journey he spotted a lot of wanted poster, reminding him that the 'easy' time in this city was finally over.

They crossed the plaza in front of their house. When Ash looked up he saw that his majestic Pidgeot was already back, sitting on the roof. After he took a second look, he spotted Lucario in front of the house, waving with something in his hands.

"It's good to see you in one piece, master!" Lucario approached his master. It was obvious that the assassin's little walk through the city turned into something else.

"What do you expect from the 'most wanted man' of the city." Ash chuckled. The yellow rodent felt better and climbed back to his master' shoulder, waving to Lucario and then to Pidgeot.

"I see that you got the letter from master Oak already." Ash' gaze went to the piece of paper in Lucario' palms. For his surprise, it seemed that the letter was already opened and that someone read it already.

"Yes master and please forgive me that I already read it!" Lucario handed the letter to Ash who took it without hesitation. The aura Pokémon bowed down again.

Before he started to read it, himself Ash looked over to his fighting-type.

"Did he sent us the next target?" Ash wanted to know and it couldn't harm to hear it from Lucario instead of reading it.

"Yes, he mentioned them in the last line." The blue Pokémon slowly walked back to the house.

"Them?" Ash asked puzzled. It was very rare that they have to assassinate more than one person at the same time, although it would speed their mission up.

Lucario turned to his master to reveal their next targets.

"Giovanni ….." Lucario started and made a dramatic pause, making Ash frown a bit. " ….. and his whole family!"

* * *

**End of chapter seven. I have to admit that I don't like this chapter very much, because it lacked of action and secrets. Most of you maybe think that it's to early for Giovanni, however, I've never told you that Ash would kill everyone on his first try. **

**Some things for understanding : **

**- Every time I write a word in inverted commas like that 'Word' you should think twice about it meaning. **

**- Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are advisors of king Cyrus**

**- Tracey da Vinci. Do I have to explain anything about that?**

**- Meowth and Surge = A strange duo? I think so.**

**- That was Ash's first 'leap of faith' into hay**

**- I know that Ash looks like a clumsy creature so far, but he will show his talents when it counts**

**- The scene on the bench between two people / It's from the game**

**- Does May count as a member of Giovanni's family? You have to read the next chapters!**

**- This story isn't rushed (Even if Giovanni dies, the story is far from over)**

**Please don't flame about the main couple and for now I can tell you that there will be some Ikarishipping as well.**

**Please review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**The first story of my career that reached chapter 8! There aren't many fans so far, but I shouldn't be surprised, because the story is rated M after all. I'm thankful for every review that I receive, yeah. If I have to subdivide the story into arcs, I would say that the first arc is over: Would call it 'The first Victim'. Story is rated M for violence, blood, bad language and murder.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon or Assassin's Creed**

**R&R!**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

"His whole family you say?" Ash repeated Lucario's last statement, thinking about a mission that included more targets. "You mean that master Oak want me to kill his wife and children too?"

Lucario nodded, although the idea of killing children didn't fit him very well. There have to be a reason that it was so important to Oak that they have to die, too.

"Giovanni? …. Right, Meowth said something about him and that he was in close contact with Butch. I assume that he's a templar!" The assassin threw a gaze to Pikachu, who seemed to be very ambivalent to this topic.

"Do you have a problem with his wishes?" The aura Pokémon looked to his master and sensing some sort of restless aura around him.

"No!" Ash simply replied. "There is always a first time for everything, I guess."

All of them went back to the house, but before they entered, Ash shouted a loud 'Thank you' to his Pidgeot. It earned a long rest after what he had done the last days.

Once in the house, Ash put the Pokémon food onto the ground with Pikachu immediately pinching something from it. At first, the assassin wanted to say something, but the rodent beat the Spearows back on the roofs.

"Could you do me a favor, Lucario?" The hooded man asked, sitting on a chair.

"Of course, master. It would be a pleasure to help you!" The blue Pokémon awaited some sort of errand from his master and he wasn't disappointed.

"Could you go to the river and get me a bucket of water? Or better two?" The assassin took one of his boots and took it off, revealing a large bruise along the calf. It looked very bad and there was a great chance of tumescence as well.

Lucario rolled his eyes. What did he tell Ash before he left for Meowth's bar?

"Okay master, but what did you do this time to get injured?" The aura Pokémon took care of his master like a mother did for her child, but Ash would do the same for Lucario, although he wouldn't admit it to everyone.

"I used a shortcut from one of those house roofs and …. Uh …. Let's say I hit the edge of something." The moment when Ash rolled out of the hay wasn't a good memory for the 'master assassin'.

The 'servant' wanted to say something, but the thought left his mind before he could speak it aloud, forcing him to leave without a wise statement.

The Aura Pokémon had left to bring the water for his master and Ash focused back to the letter that laid in front of him on the table. He maybe knew his next victim or victims in this case, but he was sure that master Oak wrote more than that into this letter.

The yellow rodent was busy with his food and Lucario wouldn't come back for a couple of minutes, leaving enough time for the assassin to examine the writing of the Masyaf' master.

He started to read this long letter. It wasn't usual that master Oak write something like that, however, the situation demanded an explanation.

'For Ash Ketchum'

The assassin gulped at that name. For years, he hadn't heard or read his last name, mostly because of the creed of the assassins that demanded a distance from everything that could lead to their uncovering. It was obvious that master Oak wanted Ash to take this note seriously. He kept on reading.

'At first I'm glad that you could eliminate Butch without problems ….'

_If he only knew …. _Ash rolled his eyes.

'… However, it is very disturbing that this conspiracy turned out to be a templar resurrection. It was ten years ago that I killed a templar called Rodrigo Borgia and after that, we didn't spot any templar activity, leading to the assumption of their extinct. Nevertheless, we shouldn't rush things from now on and I won't send any other assassins to you as long as there aren't any other proofs.

You should go on with your mission as planned. I trust you enough to appoint you for that; however, you shouldn't try to do things on your own.

Your next victim is somebody called Giovanni, but to be sure, I want you to kill everyone of his family.

Burn this letter as soon as you're finished.'

_Typical from him to write such a message …_ The assassin did what his master wanted and holds the letter above a candle, igniting it in an instance. A few seconds later and nobody in this city would be able to know anything about his next move.

The black-haired assassin sat in silence until Lucario showed up again, carrying the two buckets of water that Ash wanted.

"Here are your buckets, master!" The blue Pokémon put the buckets in front of Ash who used one of them to clean his wound on his shoulder. The assassin really needed a day-off but vacations weren't there for assassins.

He put his swollen leg into the other bucket, enjoying the feeling of the cold water touching the skin. The assassin got three wounds within three days; however, it was much better than the 'achievements' of other assassins in this town. They were all dead.

"How do we handle this master?" Lucario immediately started the conversation again.

"Now that we have our next victims we should prepare for it. At first I'll ask Meowth tomorrow how many family members Giovanni has and after that we'll act fast." The assassin didn't think about the possibility of resting a whole day.

"Okay, master!" Lucario bowed like always.

"I-I-I hope …." Ash stuttered, not able to find the correct words. This new mission made him nervous which was a rare sight for a man who didn't do anything but killing the last few years.

"What's wrong master?" The look of the aura-filled Pokémon indicated that he knew what bothered his master.

"It's just … Is it right to destroy a whole family because you have to assure something?" The rare sight of Ash with second thoughts or even doubts fascinated Lucario, but it could also harm their mission. Every second counts within an assassination and every hesitation could lead to his own failure.

"You know master, you don't have to …" The blue creature was interrupted by a noisy Ash who didn't want to look weak in his 'servants'' eyes.

"Nah …. It's only a mission Lucario and we'll finish it like always. "The assassin smiled at the aura Pokémon, scattering any doubts about their motives.

"Okay, do you want to stay here until tomorrow?" The hope that Ash would let his body some hours of rest never vanished for Lucario. There was nothing what they could do today anyway, because all of the guards searched for the 'assassin' and they wouldn't stop until their changing of the guards.

"It can't harm our mission, I guess." The soon-to-be-family-murder looked to his Pikachu who already eaten half of the back with Pokémon food. The rodent just lived one day out in the forest and he was almost starving.

"Do you know that I'm 15000 Poké worth?" Although it was a burden to be the most wanted man of this city, the bounty seemed to boost Ash' ego a bit.

"I'm not very good with money and I don't have a feeling for the value of it." True, because it was always Ash who bought things and Lucario was the one who cooked or repaired certain things for him.

"Let's say, Pikachu considered to trade me against thousand backs of Pokémon food." The aura Pokémon immediately threw a death glare to Pikachu, reminding him that his master wouldn't trade them for food.

"I'm really curious about the reason for this enormous bounty, you know." Ash stated.

"Yes, but do you want anything special for dinner today?" The blue Pokémon changed the topic, preventing his master to think about assassination and so on nonstop.

"I don't care what it is, but I want a lot of it though." The hooded man would eat everything as long as he gets tons of it. The completely eating thing, however, helped him to recover from his injuries much faster than a normal human, making it possible to go onto his next mission.

"Your wish is my command!" The aura Pokémon left the room, preparing everything for the dinner. Ash was lost in his thoughts while Pikachu slept on top of a laundry pile, that started to smell awkward but it didn't seem to bother someone.

* * *

May and Dawn ….. On the bench again ….

* * *

"Wasn't that weird May?" A few minutes after the hooded man left, Dawn decided to start a conversation. And what was a better topic than a man who rolled out of a hay wagon and sat between them?

"I guess so …" The brunette said quietly, whispering it almost into the wind. May still held onto Eevee, but the fox already stopped with his attempts to get out of May's arms.

"Come on! I'm sure that you are mad that this GUY allowed himself to sit between two beautiful girls like us." The blunette flicked through her hair, showing of her well-maintained hair.

"It's getting late Dawn! We should head to school now …" May was now lost in her thoughts. She needed time to think about the strange presence that seemed to surround her mind.

"Could you care for Eevee for a moment Dawn? I need some time alone." The brunette handed Eevee over to her friend who accepted the fox with a puzzled look. It wasn't like May to miss one second with her Pokémon, but now she insisted to be alone.

"Okay, May. We'll see each other at school, right?" Dawn replied with an unsure voice. It was almost so that she was afraid of that state that her friend was currently in.

The small Maple only waved with her hands and walked away. Even the little fox Pokémon seemed to be more restrained than usual. What was going on in the minds of them?

May walked slowly through the alleys with her hands behind her back and face to the ground.

'What is this feeling? And why can't I get rid of it?' The brunette thought, collecting her thoughts a bit but the meeting with this boy seemed to cause something in her mind.

'I could swear that I saw something in his eyes or I am going insane? It was only for a split-second, but it told me more than thousand words or do I start to imagine things?' May had a fight within her mind, but the presence that popped up in her mind didn't vanish.

'It's almost that I know him my whole life but that's impossible! Nevertheless could I swear that we share a similar past as if we are soul mates.' The brunette couldn't believe that someone could have a past as dark as hers.

'And what was that with Eevee's reaction? Why was she so attracted to him? That yellow fur …. Could it …. No way!' May didn't finished her thought because it was so ridiculous.

'Why is everything against me? I should calm down and forget all of this …. I should forget this bench …. I should forget this man …. I should forget these brown eyes …. Oh …. They were so cute …" May suddenly stopped and punched herself on the head, trying to get rid of the thoughts that caused her to loose sense of reality.

The steps of her became infrequently, slowing her down. Eventually she reached the end of an alley but she was too deep in her thoughts to see the 'wanted poster' that was nailed on the wall besides her.

'I hope that school distract me from this thoughts' May decided to forget these things as good as she could and went to her school. There wasn't a real chance that she would meet this boy again.

The res of the day passed without noticeable events with Ash and Lucario using it for preparation or sparring. The brunette went to school and met Dawn again, apologizing for her behavior when she welcomed Eevee back into her arms. The weird thoughts that were in her head disappeared for the time being and the girl could finally concentrate on the time that she could spend with Dawn and Eevee. Soon after that, May went home, hoping that sleep could fight these memories. Tomorrow should be a life-changing day for two certain people.

* * *

Next day …. With Ash and Co. …..

* * *

The day started like usual, first with breakfast and then with preparing. The assassin decided that he would try to collect the information about his victim and kill him on the same day.

"Do we have everything Lucario?" The assassin looked through his belongings that consisted of knifes, arrows and some money. When he checked the mechanism of his hidden blade, he started to froze a little at the thought of killing children with it.

"I think so master, but I'm more concerned about your condition though. Are you sure that you could fight a templar with the wounds of yours?" The aura Pokémon asked that question for the thousand time, annoying not only Ash but also Pikachu.

"Everything will be fine, trust me!" Ash placed the cape over his arm with the hidden blade. "After all you are coming with me, isn't that enough to be sure that nothing will happen?"

"Why are you in such a hurry, master?" He raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms, awaiting an illogical answer.

"Let's just put it behind us, okay?" Ash didn't want to talk about this scenario, because it woke memories up that, he wanted to forget. The sooner it was over the sooner he could forget all of this 'family murder'.

And for the first time, all three of them left the house together, leaving Pidgeot behind for the safety of their hideout. It wouldn't be easy to take this large bird with them anyways.

"Our first stop is Meowth's bar!" Ash suggested and took the large alley that was opposite the plaza. It was nice that there wasn't any wanted poster in this area, but nobody lived her anyways.

"Okay master, but do you know a way without guards?" Lucario asked his thousand-Pokémon-food-back-worth-master. There wasn't any person in that city who wouldn't mind the money that they could get for Ash's arrest.

"Not yet, but I'm sure that we can figure one out!" Sometimes it was the easiest way to think positive instead of thinking about it anyway.

"I hope you know what you are doing" The aura Pokémon murmured but it was only caught by the sensitive ears of Pikachu who threw a puzzled look to Lucario.

They searched their way through the districts of the city, occasionally eliminating a single guard that blocked a fast route before hiding him into hay or throwing him into a well.

* * *

Very early at May's house …

* * *

May woke up , sweat covering her face. She wasn't sure why she was so hot, but she assumed that she had a nightmare, however, she couldn't remember much of it. It contained a lot of blurry memories, but also a dark presentiment.

The brown-haired girl sat in her bed, calming down from this sudden wake up and she looked to the small window of her room. It was still dark outside and she assumed that it was still night. However, she was very thirsty after all of this. Crawling out of her bed, May sneaked her way to the door of her room.

With much luck she could get downstairs, get something to drink and come back without making any noise. Giovanni would kill her to touch his property, but the thirst was killing May now.

She opened the door with much care, stopping now and then to see if someone heard it. After two minutes, the door was finally over and May approached the stairs. The slim brunette was very nimbly and could jump up and down without making any noises, but she wouldn't try anything.

Her biggest threat would be Persian, the cat that loved to make her life a hell. The cat slept peacefully for her standards before the pantry. It was good that May wasn't hungry, because there was no way to get something out of that little room that the cat seemed to occupy with her life.

The small girl tiptoed her way to the corridor that would lead her to the a small cabinet that contained the fresh water of the family. Every second felt like a minute and every minute felt like an hour, but May reached the cabinet.

With renewed determination, she opened the door to the desired liquid, taking one of the bottles with the clear water. May took some big sips before she returned the bottle to its place, assuring herself that everything looked like it was before.

After that, the girl began her way back to the stairs, but she only reached the corridor when the entrance door of the house opened. May was shocked and asked herself who that could be, but deep down she knew that it have to be Giovanni.

May froze in shock, but she managed to hid behind the doorframe and the small wall of the corner of the corridor, peeking into the living room.

The first man that entered was no one else than Giovanni, but the second person was someone that May didn't know- She had short grey hair, but it was obvious that it was a woman, because of her body structure.

May clenched her fists at the thought of Giovanni and another woman again, although she wasn't angry that he forgot her mother so fast. The man took a candle and lightened it up, making it easier to see in the room.

The woman wore some kind of dark glasses and May couldn't think why she was wearing them. The brunette knew that it wasn't a good idea to eavesdrop on them, but she hadn't any other choice right now.

Soon the conversation between the two individuals started.

" I'm glad that you could answer my request, J!" Giovanni started the conversation. It seemed that they didn't talk before or that they just met before the house. But what was that for a name? J? May didn't know anyone with that name, but to be honest she didn't know many people.

"It's nice to have such a famous client, Giovanni!" May shivered when she heard the voice of the woman. It wasn't harsh or terrifying, but somehow it could freeze the blood in your veins.

"I'm sure that your talents won't be wasted for this little 'quest'." Giovanni sounded almost more annoying than ever. May peeked into the room, spotting her stepfather along with the young woman.

"I didn't want it any other way, but now for the business!" The grey-haired woman demanded to know the task that Giovanni wanted to be accomplished. May couldn't hear any strange thing and it seemed that this was just another small deal of her stepfather with someone of the merchants.

"Someone special had to disappear!" He emphasized the word 'disappear', pronouncing it with a strange accent.

There was it again. The feeling that May feared the last days, keeping her away from beautiful dreams. Was this another crime that her stepfather wanted to do? Who should disappear and why?

"I'm sure that you know what disappear means in my profession?" The sunglass-wearing woman asked, although it wasn't very likely that Giovanni didn't knew that.

"Of course, but it have to look like an accident!" Giovanni added to the plan. Was it that what May thought it would be? The little brunette couldn't move behind the frame, freezing by the thought what would happen if they see her.

"That shouldn't be a problem, I guess. Are there special reasons for this action?" Normally J didn't care for the reasons of her jobs, but sometimes she got curious.

"It couldn't harm to tell this." Giovanni thought how to explain this situation. " The person had to disappear so I can keep my wealth."

May frowned. His wealth? Most of the things that Giovanni had were originally from her mother, but he still thought he earned all of this.

"Why should the person wants your wealth?" J continued, interested in this whole thing. It could take some time and so J sat down at the table, resting her head on her fists.

"She didn't know that she could get all of my things, but this stupid Court of Justice would tell her eventually." Giovanni continued his rant. The court of Justice was introduced by king Lanced and it was built on democracy. The king couldn't do anything against it, making right not for sale.

"Why do you want to eliminate 'her' now?" The hunter asked further questions, because there was a possibility, that she knew that person.

"In a few weeks she will turn eighteen and then she could demand the inheritance of her mother!" Giovanni exclaimed, feared by the thought of loosing everything.

May froze again, because it was sure what they mean. The person who would turn eighteen soon, the person whose mother died, the person was May. She was about to be eliminated!

"Interesting, but why didn't you kill her earlier?" The word 'eliminated' was now replaced by 'killed' and J got thirsty for blood.

"After her useless mother died I got the inheritance under the condition that I would care for her so-called daughter. It wasn't much and I only gave her the most vital things, but two weeks ago I received a letter from the court that said what I told you!" The long statement was finished with a loud growl from the stepfather.

It needed all of May's willpower not to jump into the living room and punch Giovanni in his damn mouth. However, May could control her overwhelming emotions but she let them out with tears that running down her cheek. She knew it, she knew it all along. Giovanni, her stepfather, had used her mother all these years but to hear it from his mouth made it more harder to cope with.

"That means that my victim is your stepdaughter, right?" J assured herself that the victim was the seventeen-year-old May Maple that was supposed to sleep upstairs in her room.

"That's right!" Giovanni replied coldly, not feeling anything for the brunette. She was only a burden for him, a burden that had to vanish. In the best case immediately.

May was still unable to move after all what she heard. She was still in her small hideout behind the frame, sobbing silently about all the betrayal. In her mind, however, she already decided that she didn't want to stay one moment longer in this house. She had to run away. No matter what.

"Let's seal it with a handshake!" The woman and Giovanni shook hands, bringing May's life in jeopardy. The brunette could only hope that they wouldn't look for her upstairs, but maybe she could use that moment to get away.

J was about to leave, emerging the door. Giovanni smiled and approached the stairs, seemingly trying to look up. It was the worst-case scenario when May would hear everything they said, unfortunately she did.

J would be away any minute and May would have a chance to get away, but before the hunter closed the door, something brushed May's leg.

The brunette looked down to see the cat of her nightmares. It was Persian who sat near her with a big smirk on her face. May silently begged her to stay quiet, but Persian was everything but good to May. The cat scratched May's leg, forcing her to scream aloud. This wasn't unnoticed by the two other people in the room.

May immediately dashed around the corner, kicking Persian into a wall. Giovanni, with a shocked expression on his face, couldn't react when his stepdaughter ran towards the entrance door, looking for escape.

May smashed the door open and almost jumped to the outside, however, she was caught in midair. The person who caught her spun her around and hold some cloth onto her mouth. The brunette immediately lost her consciousness. It was obvious that the cloth was soaked with chloroform, leading to the sudden knockout of May.

"It seemed that your little beauty here heard something." J reentered the room with the unconsciousness May in her grasps.

"Pshaw! This little brat always did the wrong things in her life. Good that it's about to end." Giovanni regained his smirk after the threat was put away.

"Should I kill her right away?" J out her hand onto her strap, touching her knife already. It would be very easy to make short work, but Giovanni had other plans.

"It's better to do it this evening! That makes it easier to get rid of the body after it! I don't want her blood on my carpet anyway!" The stepfather concluded and went with his shoe across the carpet, feeling the softness of it.

"Where should I put her until then?" J still had the girl in her arms.

"Put her in her room! It's upstairs and I'll lock the door so she can't escape. The window there is to small to get away anyway!" The brown-haired man pointed to the stairs and J instantly walked upstairs and put the sleeping girl onto her bed.

At this time, the sun began to rise, lighten everything up. It was time for J to go away.

"I'll come back this evening to end this job and after that you'll pay me the whole amount, is that right?" The grey-hair exclaimed, demanding what will be hers after tonight.

"Exactly, I'll wait for you at the sunset and don't forget! It have to look like an accident!" Both of these unmoral people shared one last glance before J disappeared, making sure that no sunbeam touched her skin.

* * *

At Meowth's bar …

* * *

The assassin trio waited inside a dark alley to avoid unwanted gazes from the guards. It took a while, but they finally reached Meowth's bar, however, it was located on a place across a large plaza, making it difficult t enter without catching to much attention.

"Do you have something in mind, master?" Lucario peeked around the corner, spotting several guards that were near the shop where they spotted Ash the first time.

"I thought that we could disappear inside of a large crowd, but nobody wears white today. That's just crap!" The assassin looked around, seeing woman with red clothes and men with blue clothes.

"I wish it would exist a device with that you could make smoke!" The Kanto native imagined a small ball that you throw onto the ground. Emitting smoke after that. What Ash didn't knew that a certain artist already developed such a thing and it was called simply a smoke bomb.

The assassin then switched his gaze to the small alley wall besides him, locating another wanted poster. Out of sheer desperation, he ripped it off the wall.

"Master? I think I have an idea but it isn't very cheap for you!" Lucario touched the shoulder of his master, smiling at him. Ash hadn't much of a choice but to listen to his aura Pokémon.

"Do you have an idea Lucario?" Ash turned around, facing the smaller creature. However, his question was stupid. What did Lucario just said?

"We could distract the guards and people with something that they love more than everything!" Lucario didn't came to the point of his plan, making Ash frown again.

"What should the distraction be?" Ash tilted the head, still missing the point.

"You'll throw money on the ground and everybody will start battle for it! You know the situation of the town." It was a clever idea, but it was indeed very expensive, but there was no alternative at the time.

"My poor money, but if it works I will do it!" Ash took a hand full of coins from his pocket and searched for the perfect spot to throw it. He decided for a point between a shop and a bench, assuring that the jostling would buy him enough time.

All people looked around when they heard the clang of multiple coins that were falling onto the ground. Everybody, including the guards, rushed towards the place with the dispersed coins and it didn't bother anyone where the money came from.

All of the people almost wrestle each other to get something from this 'lost' money. Behind her backs, however, three disguised figures approached the bar. Before the crowd disappeared, again Ash and his fellow partners already entered the building.

* * *

Inside the bar ….

* * *

"Hello Meowth! It's me again!" Ash waved towards the newspaper-reading cat. Surprisingly the cat was everything but shocked to see the assassin again and so soon.

"It's you …" Meowth stopped when he spotted the 'dog' again. Ash knew what he had to do and gripped his pocket again. He really spent a lot of money on this kind of things.

"You don't have to pay for the dog this time!" Meowth held a paw in front of him, insisting that the assassin shouldn't suffer for the race of his Pokémon.

Lucario seemed relieved that Meowth finally checked that he wasn't a stray dog, however, Meowth wasn't finished with his statement. "But only if he hunt his own tail, I need something to laugh about!" Meowth, Pikachu and Ash seemed amused about this, but Lucario was ashamed.

The aura Pokémon looked at his master with pleading eyes, but the assassin replied. "It will stay between us, Lucario!" Ash tried to cheer his Pokémon up, although his voice said something else. Pikachu covered his mouth with his paws, holding back his laughter.

The aura Pokémon backed down, but after some seconds, he ran three circles, trying to catch his tail with his mouth. It was a short moment, but Meowth was rolling on the floor, laughing aloud. Lucario's face turned crimson read in embarrassment.

It took some time, but Ash realized that Surge wasn't anywhere but he didn't bother to ask Meowth where he was.

"I need some information Meowth!" Ash broke a little moment of silence. The blue Pokémon kept his silence, lowering his head to escape the looks of the others.

The barkeeper simply nodded and cleaned a small glass while listening.

"It's about this man Giovanni!" Meowth's ears sharpened, because he put the glass away and bend forward. "I have to know what he does, where he lives and everything about his family!" The Kanto native crossed his arms, awaiting some important information from the only Pokémon that he could trust in this town, besides his own of course.

"He is a really famous person in this town for different reasons, but he mainly works for the merchant guild or the king, however, his money is from his deceased wife as much as I know." Ash was relived that he didn't have to kill a wife.

"He has two daughters! One of them is Jesse and the other is called May, but I haven't seen them recently." Ash gulped, because he wasn't ready to kill kids, although he was known as an ice-cold killer but that was a disguise to intimidate his foes.

"How old are they?" For the longest time Ash had only killed people that were older than him. The assassin had recently turned twenty, but he was still very young.

"I think Jesse is eighteen, but to be honest she is still a small child, at least her mind. May is seventeen, but I can be wrong though." Meowth always said when something wasn't for sure.

"Alright! Now I want to know where he lives!" The black-hair demanded. This was the last part of information that he needed to get things started.

"He isn't a direct noble, but he lives in the noble district though. It's a big house opposite the church there. You couldn't miss it, but Giovanni didn't allow strangers in his house." Meowth added the last part, knowing that the assassin wanted to meet this guy.

"It shouldn't be a problem!" Every time Ash said this, it was clear that it will turn out into a problem. The yellow rodent and Lucario said nothing, entrusting their master with the 'talks'.

"Okay … " The barkeeper raised an eyebrow at this. The suspicious cat was interrupted by a loud growl, coming from the stomach of a certain man again.

"Could we eat something here?" Ash asked, rubbing his belly. Although he was a 'master assassin', he still had his own characteristics, including his insatiable hunger.

"This here is a bar and not a restaurant!" Meowth yelled slightly, because he wasn't a cook but a barkeeper. However, it wouldn't be bad to sell food as well.

"Come on Meowth! I'm sure that you have something." The assassin put some coins onto the table, hitting Meowth's weak point.

"Uh … I'm sure that I have something for a twerp like you!" The barkeeper snatched the money away and ran to the storeroom.

"I think we should stay here for a while." The assassin suggested, making himself comfortable here.

"Why?" The aura Pokémon lifted his head up again, curious about his master' intention. Pikachu already jumped onto the bar, sitting there.

"It would be better to 'visit' him this evening and besides, I'm hungry!" It seemed that the assassin wouldn't do anything interesting until this evening. Surprisingly it crossed the plan of a certain brown-haired man and a hunter.

* * *

Afternoon … May's room ….

* * *

The vision of the brunette was very blurred and it normalized very slowly. Her head felt like a coconut that was pitched onto a rock. She felt the warm feeling of her covers, not opening her eyes. The feeling, however, turned into a indescribable request to escape the place.

Suddenly her eyes snapped open, revealing her sapphire ones. The brunette looked around, realizing that she was in her room and for a few seconds she thought that everything was a dream.

She scratched her head and looked to the outside. The sun was already far in the west, revealing that it have to be past noon. It was very late and she missed school, but how could it be possible that she overslept?

"Damn!' she thought, preparing to get ready. At least there was still some time that she could spend with Dawn outside.

The brunette walked towards the door of her room and grabbed the doorknob. Her attempt to pull the door open failed, calling for a second attempt. After it failed twice, May started to panic. She desperately shook the doorknob, but it wouldn't open.

The brown-haired girl yelled for Jesse and even Giovanni, but there was no response. Why should they lock her door unless it wasn't a dream.

The memories from this morning resurfaced, leading to a slight nervous breakdown of the brunette. She couldn't believe that she was about to die without meeting her dream boy. May ran to the window, trying to escape that way but like Giovanni said, it was to small.

She tried to open the door with violence, using various objects to smash it. Her physical strength was limited and soon she was exhausted by her attempts, leading her to fall to her knees. She started to cry again, not trying to suppress her tears that were freely running down her cheeks.

'All these years he had used me …. Why mum? Why did you fall for him? He has no heart …. I don't know what I should do … It's not so that I could anything right now … He betrayed my mother … he betrayed everyone … the worst part …. He will succeed with it ….. Why didn't I do something when I had time? …. I don't want to die, not now … He can have this stupid money ….. I only want to live …' May had several thoughts.

She felt so helpless and betrayed. She tried to call for Giovanni, but he never came. The brunette would even surrender her inheritance to him if he only let her go.

The poor little girl crawled into the corner of her room, very scared. The only thing that she had in her hands was the little stuff toy and the picture of her family laid near the covers, however, the brunette couldn't look at it. Her eyes were watered up, not allowing to get a clear vision from her surroundings.

It almost killed her to wait for the 'woman' that would end her life. What she regretted the most was the fact that she couldn't say good-bye to Dawn or Eevee. Nobody would bother to help her unless they knew something about it.

' …. Please ….. Someone ….. Help … Me…..' May screamed desperately inside her head.

And so May waited in her corner of the room. Alone.

* * *

At Dawn's house … late afternoon ….

* * *

The blunette returned from school, however, her steps were rather slowly. Dawn looked down at the Pokémon in her arms and it was as upset as she that the brunette didn't appear at school today.

"It's not like her to stay away from school, Eevee." Dawn began to speak with the fox Pokémon in her hands. The evolution Pokémon tilted his head, looking up to the girl.

"I know that she could be ill, but yesterday she looked so confused and all." Dawn' voice cracked up a little. "I'm really worried Eevee." The blunette hugged the fox even tighter, causing it to squeal a little.

She approached her house and her mother already waited for her.

"Welcome back, sweetie." Johanna greeted her little blue-head with a bone-crushing hug. It was obvious that the girl inherited the hair color from her mother.

"I'm glad to see you too." Dawn only slightly returned the hug. Something that wasn't unnoticed by her mother.

"What's wrong dear?" Johanna's mother instinct told her that Dawn was having something on her mind and it wasn't a boy for sure.

"It's just that May wasn't at school and I'm worried." Dawn put the small evolution Pokémon down so it could went into the house.

"No need to worry Dawn. I'm sure she's fine." Johanna comforted her daughter with a catchphrase that would eventually be adopted by her daughter.

"Okay mum, but tomorrow I'll look for her." Dawn added and walked to the house, accepting the situation for now. May was old enough to take care of herself after all.

In an instant Eevee got a presentiment, somehow sharing the feelings with her beloved one. The evolution Pokémon rushed to the door, passing Dawn who couldn't stop her before Eevee ran to the outside.

"WAIT EEVEE!" Dawn yelled but the fox was already out of earshot.

The brown Pokémon didn't look back and kept running. Although she had never been to May's house, the fox somehow knew the way. It was like a cat who could find her family that moved away without it.

The sun already started to set, not leaving much time for the fox to help the person that she would consider as her 'mother'.

* * *

Inside a dark alley within the city …..

* * *

"I should go now." A certain grey-haired hunter said, walking along the walls. No one of the citizens looked at her, although she was unique with her sunglasses.

Hunter J approached the house that contained her victim of the day, May Maple. Some Rattatas were startled by the constant noise of the steps that echoed out of the dark alleys.

It wouldn't take her long to make this little girl disappear before she would get her reward. There was nothing easier than that.

* * *

At Meowth's bar …..

* * *

"Master, the sun is setting!" Lucario reminded his master who had decided to take a nap for the time being. The little rodent, however, seemed to have a fable for alcoholic drinks.

Ash pulled his hood to the back of his head, revealing some of his hair. They stayed the whole day at Meowth's bar, mostly because there weren't any other guests so far.

"I think we should go now!" Ash raised himself from the chair, some of his bones gritting after the long rest. He still had his bow, his arrows, his sword and his throwing knifes with him, but something surprised him big time.

"Hey, Lucario! Is that a waist-pack? " Indeed the aura Pokémon had something around his waits and it looked exactly like a waist pack to the assassin. It had a brown color that would match with Ash' clothes but not with Lucario' fur.

"Yeah!" Lucario exclaimed happily, although the reason was a mystery for Ash. "Meowth gave it to me." What's wrong here? Did Ash sleep for hundred years?

However, the assassin spotted the barkeeper behind the bar, snickering. It was also no sign of gratitude from Meowth, but rather another try of the cat to embarrass the dog.

"It's quiet … uh … okay, I guess." Ash tried to find the right words. The yellow rodent drank the fourth glass of wine and seemed a bit confused after that. The mouse should find a appropriate replacement for this liquid and this very soon.

"Pikachu? Are you feeling, okay?" The assassin approached his Pokémon. He tipped him onto the shoulder and it fell down.

The dark assassin lifted Pikachu up by his tail and looked at it with a mixed look. Should he take this drunken thing with him?

"We shouldn't leave him here, Lucario." Ash said when suddenly a thought hit his mind. "We should put Pikachu in your waist-pack, Lucario!" Within a second, the yellow rodent slept inside the waist pack of Lucario, sobering up.

"Thank you Meowth for your hospitality!" Lucario and Ash waved good-bye to the speaking Pokémon before they left the bar. They timed everything up and the changing of the guards happened, leaving enough time to sneak through the streets of the city.

Three different groups were on their way to the Maple residence. All with their respective intention, but who would arrive first?

Would it be Eevee to rescue her 'mother', would it be hunter J who would end May's life for good or would it be the group of Ash and Lucario who intend to end more than one life there?

* * *

**This is the end of chapter eight of 'Life in the shadows'. I would rate this story a B- , because of the bad plot that I inserted here. I know that you expected something more than that, but we'll see how it turns out in the next chapter. **

**Some things for understanding:**

**- Ash' wounds heal really fast**

**- Pidgeot won't be part of the assassin trio, but he will have his moments too**

**- I don't know if hunter J was the right person for the role I gave her oO**

**- Throwing money onto the ground? Something from the game again**

**- The court of Justice was invented by King Lance and it can't be dissolved by the king**

**- Who do you hate more? Giovanni or Persian?**

**- I would love to read some reviews about what you expect from the next chapter**

**Please don't flame. This story contains Advanceshipping and later chapters some Ikarishipping as well.**

**Please review. **


	9. Chapter 9

**Here is chapter 9! I hope that I can reach your expectations with that one, but it is hard to do so. Finally something for the Advanceshipping fans! I'm glad that I receive four reviews per chapter so far! The story is rated M for blood, murder, violence and bad language. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or Assassin's Creed**

**R&R!**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Only one-half of the sun was visible when it disappeared behind the horizon, coloring the sky with a dark red tint. Some clouds in the sky indicated that it could rain within the next hours, but until when everything was dry.

The wind started to become stronger, making it difficult to stand on elevated positions. On top of a church were two familiar faces that looked straight down to the street, inspecting the surroundings before planning their next step.

"We are here, master!" The blue Pokémon sat on the edge of the roof, leaving his feet freely in the air.

"Alright! At first, we should check the surroundings! We don't need any witnesses this time, right Lucario?" The hooded man stood there with crossed arms while the wind blew through his clothes, occasionally revealing a part of the assassin's face,

His eyes were brown, but they were filled with determination. However, it only covered his uneasiness with the whole situation. The 'master assassin' looked at the house that Meowth told him and noticed that it was a huge one, seemingly being in family ownership for a long time.

"It would be better unless you want a higher bounty, master." Lucario turned his head to his master. The raven-haired killer seemed to think about this, but what were the odds to get an even higher bounty now?

"I think I could relinquish this possibility." Ash put his hands onto his thighs while he crouched down.

"How do you plan to enter the house, master?" The aura Pokémon ogled at their target. The house had only two floors, but many rooms.

"I think using the entrance door isn't good." The senseless comment wasn't met with laughter. The assassin thought about the possibility to enter the house through the balcony door.

For several minutes, they thought about different strategies, but then Lucario discovered some aura that approached the house as well.

"Master, an unfamiliar aura approached the house from the right site!" Lucario informed his master and pointed to the small street that led to the house. It wasn't easy to see something there because the big houses blocked the rest of the remaining sunlight.

Ash kneeled on the edge of the roof, staring into the alley. He heard steps; however, the vision of the unknown visitor wouldn't pop up. He already thought that it could be just some citizen that looked for something.

Ash wanted to say something, but then he saw actually a person that walked out of the alley. It seemed to be a woman with grey hair.

"I wonder if she is Jesse or May." Ash wondered if he first victim is already here.

"If you ask me, what you rarely do, I would say that she isn't, master! She looks older than seventeen or eighteen!" Lucario exclaimed. The assassin looked to his Pokémon with a questioned look. Since when can the aura Pokémon tell the age of people?

Before any discussion could start, the aura Pokémon sensed another, but weak aura.

"Master, another aura approached the house, but I think it's only a Pokémon." Lucario pointed to another road and indeed, a small fox like Pokémon ran with full speed towards the house.

"I think I know this Pokémon." Ash rubbed his eyes before he looked again to the Eevee that encountered him the day before.

'Could it be? …. These two girls on that bench … Nah … Not very likely … Their clothes were everything, but noble … Damn … why do I think about this anyway? …' Ash scratched his head under his hood.

Eevee never went for the entrance door, but jumped into an alley near the house instead. The fox-like Pokémon jumped onto several barrels that were stacked under one small window of the second floor. It seemed that the brown fox wanted to break into the house.

The woman approached the front door, making it clear for the assassin that she wanted something there. However, Ash was so confused that he would do everything to finish the story as fast as possible.

"Lucario I know that this sounds crazy, but we will attack head on!" That was indeed crazy for a man who was trained to kill without much noise and everything.

"We'll kill only our targets, Lucario! Everyone else will be knocked out." Ash started to climb down the church, motioning to Lucario to follow him.

The aura Pokémon was confused that his master couldn't wait, although it wasn't maybe that bad. To use the surprise as an alley is always a good step towards victory.

Eevee reached the top barrel and looked towards the small window that was only big enough for the brown evolution Pokémon. She made herself ready and used a Tackle attack against the window, trying to reach her mother with that.

* * *

Inside May's room ….

* * *

The brunette still sat curled up in her corner, begging for her life. It wouldn't take long, until everything would be over for her. The sun had already set and the darkness covered all of her things inside her room. She was sure that the next noise she would hear would be ….

**-CRASH-**

May was too afraid to look up; although this wasn't the noise, she was waiting for. She expected to hear the door open and reveal this stupid bitch that killed people for money.

With May not noticing, Eevee crashed through the small window to her room, rolling along the ground. The fox received minor injuries by that stunt like scratches and some bruises, but it was worth it to rescue her 'mother'.

Eevee immediately looked around to find the most precious person in her life, but it was very dark inside there. After some rounds, she spotted a person-like-creature inside a corner. She was hugging her legs, resting her forehead on her knees.

The normal-type approached her and put one of her paws onto May's legs. It was followed by a quiet 'Eevee' from her, hoping to get the attention of the brunette.

May was still deep in thoughts when she heard that crashing noise, ignoring it completely. It couldn't be something good anyway.

'Come on May …. Everything - will - be - all right … It … doesn't work on me …. At least not in that situation …. No May, mum would want you to be strong ….' May's argument in her head was subtitled by an 'Eevee', but she didn't notice. 'Don't go crazy May …. It could be worse… I'm going insane …' The brunette started to cry about the upcoming events, but also about her mental state.

Then something touched the skin on her shinbone and her first reaction was to wave with her hands in front of her face. However, she couldn't feel anything there and she started to sob heavily. The brunette thought that she started to imagine things, forcing her to shake weirdly.

'Eevee'. There it was again, but this time it was louder and sounded very familiar to her. May again looked up, but the only thing she saw was an empty room in front of her. Suddenly a hairy face appeared in front of her and it was so close that it almost touched her nose.

For a couple of seconds May looked into the round eyes of something, but this something licked on her nose, bringing May out of her trance. At first, she couldn't believe it and it needed a third 'Eevee' from the fox to assure the brunette that she wasn't dreaming.

"EEVEE!" The brown-haired girl locked her arms around the fox, hugging her tightly to her body. Eevee squealed a little, because of the scratches and bruises that she received when she jumped through the window into the room.

"How did you find me? Why are you here?" May enjoyed the warm feeling of Eevee's fur against her face without stopping asking questions.

The fox was happy too that she arrived early enough to see her mother. Alive. Their reunion was interrupted by an opening door; however, it wasn't the room's door, but rather the entrance door in the first floor.

Although reunited with Eevee, May was still afraid of that what was coming to her.

* * *

May's house … living room …

* * *

Giovanni was sitting on his armchair, drinking some sort of tea. Of course, he heard that crashing noise, but he knew that the girl would loose her mind sooner or later.

Persian laid near the chair, curled up into a ball and sleeping. Her peaceful sleep was interrupted by the opening door that revealed the long awaited J. The woman didn't change her clothes since this morning or she had the same clothes over and over again.

"I see that you are waiting for me, Giovanni." Hunter J approached the chair with the brown-haired man.

"It's not like I'm doing anything different from usual." Giovanni responded. He often sat in his armchair, thinking about the ways to make money and other 'tasks'.

In front of Giovanni was table with several candles, burning like a campfire. Unfortunately most of 'his' belongings were made out of wood.

"Is she still locked in her room?" J crossed her arms, seemingly expecting a 'yes'.

"Of course she is and I'm quiet sure that she is going insane up there!" Giovanni chuckled at the 'stupidity' of his stepdaughter.

"Give me the key and I will finish this very quickly!" J reached her had towards the man. It wouldn't be a problem to break the door with violence, but to destroy the client's belongings wouldn't look good on her calling card.

"Okay!" he gave her the silver key for her room. "Don't forget to kill her without much blood! I'll use that room for something!"

The hunter grunted a bit, but nevertheless she walked to the stairs. Giovanni scratched his precious Persian behind the ears, receiving a coo from her.

**- Crash -**

Within a second, the whole atmosphere inside the room changed. This loud crashing noise didn't come from upstairs. It came from a place that was quiet closer to Giovanni, making it quiet impossible that it came from May.

Giovanni still sat in his armchair with one hand on the edge of it and the other hand was still holding his glass with tea. Hunter J stopped midway on her way to May's room and looked to Giovanni.

Behind him appeared a shadow and J could see that it have to be a human. His next movement was incredible fast and Giovanni didn't find himself in a position where he could do anything for the time being. A long knife was held across his throat, endangering his life.

"I think this question is unnecessary, but are you Giovanni?" The voice sounded kinda scary when it comes from a foe that you couldn't see. The small lights in front of the templar couldn't reach the man that allowed himself to take Giovanni hostage.

The brown-haired man wasn't familiar with this feeling of being the target of a threat. He stayed calm, knowing that it made no sense to do something stupid.

"I think you're right. I assume that you're a burglar!" Giovanni put his glass back onto the table; however, he didn't look up to the dark figure. In addition to this, he heard a second noise, coming from the same window that was crashed moments ago.

"I have no problem if you think so!" Ash replied, holding the knife even tighter to the throat of the templar. Meanwhile the second shadow behind him approached the scene, not saying a word during the whole scenery.

"What do you want? Money? I have a lot of it and you can take as much as you want." The calm voice of Giovanni made the assassin unsure, but it made him also more careful in this situation.

"I don't care for your money!" The assassin exclaimed, stating that money isn't the most important thing in life. "At first I want some information about your organization and then …. Let's say … uh … your life?" I felt confident of victory and said his things straight.

"Do you think that you could make me afraid?" Giovanni laughed, although his movements brought him closer to the sharp end of the knife. "You don't have a clue who your opponent is right now!" His laughter didn't stop, but it was interrupted by a scream from the corridor.

Ash and the templar looked to the small room and spotted a pink haired girl that clasped the hands in front of her mouth. She seemed to wake up after the Ash broke the window of the living room. The assassin couldn't otherwise but smile.

"I assume that this is your daughter!" Ash tightened the grip around Giovanni's neck before whispering into his ear. "How much worth is her life for you?" The voice that Ash used right now couldn't be compared to his old one.

Giovanni didn't respond. The assassin behind him frowned at this calmness. The brown-hair was about to be killed but their was no single sweatdrop on his forehead, let alone a scared expression or something.

"Lucario, go and catch this girl!" Ash ordered. The aura Pokémon hesitated, but it was his duty to do as his master orders. The blue Pokémon jumped to the corridor and pressed Jesse against the wall, although she was bigger than the attacker, Jesse couldn't fight against him.

"Do you change your mind?" Ash asked again, not releasing his knife. Again no respond from his target. The knife was now put harder against the throat and the first blood became visible and dropped onto the chest of Giovanni.

Ash lost his patience and was about to cut the damn neck of the man. It wasn't necessary to get these information, but his final move was foiled.

The cat Persian that didn't do anything the last couple of minutes jumped into the face of the assassin and scratched it completely. This forced Ash to release his hold on Giovanni who jumped out of his seat and ran towards Lucario.

The large man pushed the aura Pokémon, that was surprised by the sudden change of events, into the wall. He then grabbed Jesse and ran towards the entrance door, ready to escape.

The assassin had enough from this stupid bitch cat and grabbed it with both hands. He pulled her away from himself, although her claws were still deep down in his face. A lot of blood went down his face, but the aura user was pissed off and threw the cat with all of his might into the table in front of him.

Unfortunately, it was the table with all of the candles, making the next events rather unpredictable. The tail of Persian was on fire and the cat started to run through the flat as if the fire would go away with that. Many flammable objects crossed the path of the screaming cat, igniting them in the process.

Within seconds, half of the furniture was on fire, shortening the remaining time for this mission. The assassin had no time to waste and looked for Giovanni, but the man already left the house.

"Goddamned shit! Fucking bastard! …." Ash cursed like never before. "Lucario! Follow them! Use your aura to locate their position and possible hideout!" Ash shouted to his Pokémon who started his own chase this time.

"And what's with you, master?" Lucario yelled to his master.

"Giovanni only took one of his daughters with him. That means that the second one has to be here! I'll make sure that she won't escape like them!" Ash dodged some material that started to break from the ceiling above him.

The aura Pokémon knew that his master could do his part, but he was concerned if he could do his own part. Following Giovanni would be a difficult task, filled with hurdles all over the way. The time to think about this wasn't right now when Lucario started the chase, leaving his master in this burning house.

For a few seconds Ash just watched his Pokémon, but another part of the house started to be on fire. However, there was no sign of the cat. Persian seemed to be run away from the fire, although she was a part of it.

The temperature within the house rises to new highs, leaving the assassin under his cloak in a bad spot. There wasn't enough time to find the 'second' girl in the house, let alone eliminating her. The assassin wanted to start his search upstairs and went to the banister, shielding his eyes on the way.

Just as he took the first step on the stairs, Ash was met with a sudden hit in the face. It wasn't a punch or a stone, but it hurt much more than that. A small cut appeared on Ash' cheek, bleeding heavily.

The assassin touched the spot where he was hit, feeling the deep cut on his face and flesh. Everything went in slow motion when Ash was almost hit a second time, but this time he could dodge the attack. Focusing back to the present, Ash saw a person on top of the stairs. It was the woman that entered the house before him, but for some reason she was silent for the past few minutes when Ash held Giovanni hostage.

Hunter J possessed a long whip that she held with her right hand. In her second hand was something that looked like a key, but Ash wasn't sure because of the bad vision during the fire. Ash knew that he was hit with that whip, indicating that this grey-haired person knew how to use it properly.

"You aren't Giovanni' daughter, are you?" Ash asked while the fire reached the stairs. Almost everything in the living room was on fire and the curtains let the flames to the ceiling, bringing the whole room into a state of a pure inferno.

"I'm not, but can I ask you why you are searching for her?" J looked through her dark sunglasses, seemingly not impressed with the whole fire situation.

"When I tell you I have to kill you afterwards! Is that okay for you?" Ash already extended his hidden blade. His face showed no form of emotion at that time, questioning his mental state a bit.

"Where did you learn your catchphrases, little boy?" Hunter J started to mock her younger opponent, although there was no apparent reason to be enemies at that time.

"Don't know. Maybe from some grey-haired bitch that looked like you?" The Kanto native was able to insult people himself, but his hot temper always put him into dangerous situation.

The fire was now close to Ash and allowed a good look at his appearance. Unfortunately, almost every citizen in the city knew the look of Ash and J wasn't an exception. Her whip immediately swung into the direction of the multiple murderer.

However, this wasn't the first time that the assassin had to deal with that kind of weapon and he caught the whip with his left arm. It wrapped his arm and held him tightly.

"Do you want to play tug of War?" Ash said with a 'cute' voice, trying to piss the woman off. Both of them almost forgot the situation around them and the first lintel fell from the ceiling, crashing onto the last pieces of the table and the armchair.

Hunter J just smiled at the pathetic attempts of her younger foe, adding a humorous aspect to this whole party.

The aura user just smiled back before he was suddenly pulled into the direction of the woman. Again, he underestimated his opponent and this time because she was female. It was time for the so-called 'master' to get his ass kicked.

However, Ash wasn't the helpless one and he let himself drag to the hunter, awaiting the right time. J obvious wanted to punch him or something but Ash dodged the attack when he bowed down, placing his head under the woman's right arm.

He then lifted his upper body up again, flipping her other him. Normally J should land on her back, but the woman was more athletic than expected when she did a full somersault and landed on her feet at the bottom of the stairs.

J turned around with the whip still in her hand and the end around Ash's arm. This shouldn't be an easy fight for the experienced assassin.

Meanwhile in May's room ….

The brunette still hugged her small Eevee very tight to her chest and awaited the worst. She already heard steps coming up the stairs, but the door never opened. May wondered what was going on before a crashing noise on the first floor caught her attention.

"What are they doing?" The brown-haired girl asked the little fox. The evolution Pokémon didn't know an answer either. Then there were some minutes of silence and May' curiosity grew with every second, skipping also over to Eevee.

"Can it be that Dawn informed someone?" May looked to the brown fox, hoping that her assumption was right. Eevee shook her head, implying that Dawn didn't do anything as long as she was with her.

"But who …." May' sentence was interrupted by a terrible scream and she didn't need a second to know who it was.

"Jesse? What the hell is going on there?" For the first time in hours, May stood up and walked to the door, hoping to hear something from the first floor that could explain the whole scenario.

Within a few seconds, she heard another crashing noise, seemingly from a table that broke down. The suspense was killing May, because she had no clue what was going on there.

She leaned her head against the door, eavesdropping. May actually heard two voices, but she could only identify one of them, but the other one was new to her.

"The one is definitely this woman, but who is the other one?" May tried to figure out who that mysterious stranger could be and Eevee started to push one of her ears against the door as well.

Thanks to her good hearing sense, she could say that both of them were on the stairs and that J was closer to her door. However, she could hear that the second voice belonged to a man, but it was difficult to hear parts of their conversation. The brunette was only able to hear fragments of the talk.

"You aren't Giovanni's daughter? …. I have to kill you afterwards ….." May repeated what she heard. "Is this guy looking for me? Is there another one who wants to kill me?" The brunette backed down from the door, trying to think about something positive.

Before May decided what to think, she felt that it became hot inside of her room. Eevee jumped out of her arms, landing on all four on the ground. She immediately danced, not because of some music but the ground almost glowed.

The first sweat started to drop down May's face, trying to compensate the additional temperature. Her feet hurt by that heat and she took Eevee again and ran to her mattress.

"Why is it so hot?" The whole air became thin within the room and it became a torture to breath properly. Eevee reminded May that there was still the small window that provided them with fresh air, but it was far away.

After the increasing temperature, May got a second problem when smoke started to emerge through the crack in the door, filling the room with the deadly gas.

"Oh no …" The brunette looked in horror when she realized that the house was on fire, leaving her helpless with the door locked up. There was no way to get out of here, at least not for her.

The brunette wrapped the covers around her feet, took the fox into her arms and walked to the small window.

"Come on Eevee! You have to escape through the window!" May pushed the brown Pokémon onto the window's ledge, but the evolution Pokémon refused to leave her alone.

"Please Eevee!" May begged her friend. "I don't want that you die, please!" The brunette had tears in her eyes, but she was sure that this was the right decision.

Eevee refused and even tackled into May's arms. There was no way that the small fox would abdomen her 'mother'.

"Eevee, you stupid fox!" May yelled, but at the same time, she smiled, accepting the decision of Eevee. The fox knew that this could be the end, but within the last days, she developed a bond to this girl that the fox couldn't break right now.

The duo went back to the mattress, escaping the enormous heat under their feet. However, the smoke almost filled half of the room and the brunette crouched down to breath the last remaining fresh air in her life.

Neither May or Eevee knew something about the fight that occurred under their feet.

* * *

Back into the living room …

* * *

"It seems that May will die anyway, but I can always tell Giovanni that I did it!" J talked with herself, but loud enough for a certain assassin to hear.

"What are you talking about?" Ash tightened his grip on the whip, ready to pull it to him.

"I think you shouldn't die stupid, so I will tell you the whole story!" Hunter J smirked, almost chuckling that she had the better arguments in this conversation. Ash didn't move, waiting for some extra information.

"To make it short, Giovanni paid me to kill his daughter so he could keep his wealth!" J said quickly. The assassin frowned, wondering why a father had to kill his daughter to keep his wealth.

"However, she will die because of the fire or smoke, but I find something that is much better!" The hunter stepped to the side, avoiding another piece of burning piece of the ceiling.

Before Ash could answer he was pulled down the stairs, but the assassin used this additional momentum to jump onto the railing of the stairway, sliding down. It was improvised by the hooded man, although it was very clever.

At the end of the railing, Ash extended his hidden blade again, intending to end this. His experienced foe, however, sidestepped this attack before pulling out a knife.

"The money that I will get for your dead body will make me rich!" J knew about the bounty that was put on Ash, adding this as a reason to kill him.

"Then you should know that I didn't get it without a reason." Ash countered, stating that he won't be an easy victim.

The assassin knew that it was time to release his grip on the whip. J thought that this would be an attempt for an escape of the assassin, but this wasn't true. The black-haired killer had enough and ran towards the sunglass-wearing woman, dodging every whip hit from her.

He approached her with determination, but a jet flame forced him to stop his attack. Ash shielded his eyes, feeling the heat all over his body. J took advantage of the situation and stabbed Ash with her knife. It pierced him right in his chest, missing his heart by millimeters.

The assassin backed down, covering the stabbed spot with his hand. For a second he thought that his heart was pierced, but the amount of blood that escaped from the wound proved something different.

"You have luck!" J grunted, lowering her knife. Her attack wasn't deadly, but she got the early advantage in this battle.

"Is that everything you got?" Ash kept his cool, although the sweat on his face said something different. Most of his clothes were already soaked with blood and the stab wound affected his lung, forcing Ash to spit blood now and then.

It became a juggling act to walk through the room, because half of the ground was on fire and jet flames came from different parts of the ceiling. Ash had enough problems to breath; however, it became worse with the additional smoke that reached the ground.

Different from the beginning, it was J who made the first attack in this second round. She jumped over the flames, landing inches away from Ash.

The assassin looked around, finding a place without fire so far. He dodged the next attempts of J to stab him, reaching the 'free' area in this burning hell. It didn't take long and J followed him, forcing Ash to act fast. He tried to hit her with his blade, but she dodged, leading Ash to spin half a round.

The hunter then pushed the assassin into the direction of a wall, expecting him to crash into it.

Ash used his agility to stop his speed when he put one foot onto the wall. He followed it with a swift movement of his other leg, lifting his body up. The assassin performed a wall flip over his foe, crapping her head in midair.

Ash had J in a headlock, but before he could break her neck, she planted her elbow into his ribcage. The additional pain forced Ash to loosen his grip, grabbing his chest again.

"I don't know why they put such an enormous bounty on you!" J took her whip again. Ash saw this and gripped one of his new throwing knifes. Although he wasn't experienced with it, he threw it with full speed at J. It rotated but it only cut the whip into half. The cut was exactly under J's hand.

"This time you have luck!" Ash intimidated his foe, but he was satisfied with his first attempt right now. Another jet flame almost hit the assassin in the face; however, he dodged it and used this as an opportunity to approach his foe.

J shielded her eyes as well and when she looked for her opponent, he was gone. That was a bad time to loose eye contact with the assassin and J knew that.

Ash suddenly appeared behind a smoke cloud and shot one of his arrows at the hunter. From this distance, it was impossible for J to dodge the attack completely. However, it missed her head but pierced her right shoulder, vanishing her advantage that she had.

Both wounded competitors looked at each other, waiting for a mistake from the other. The confidence disappeared from J's face and was replaced by concern. They heard a crunch and it became obvious that the house wouldn't stand any longer.

"I know that this isn't very honorable, but you annoy me!" The hunter grabbed onto her belt, taking a gun. Ash immediately noticed that thing and a direct hit would knock him out cold.

The words of Lucario, however, gave him hope. The biggest disadvantage of these guns was the long reloading time. With that knowledge, Ash could plan a counter.

J removed the arrow from her shoulder, dropping the bloody object onto the ground. Everything that could ignite in this house was on fire with the exception of the upper floors.

Ash started to laugh, showing his characteristic a bit. It wasn't the most convincing laugh, but he didn't fake it.

"What's so funny?" J demanded to know, not understanding what was so funny. Both of them were hurt and the house was about to collapse.

"Originally I wanted to take down three people, but now I struggle with just one." Ash chuckled, although his reason wasn't the best one.

"That doesn't explain your laughter! Don't forget: You're about to die!" J exclaimed. That didn't shock Ash at all who kept his smile.

"I think we're finished with the warm up!" Ash tried to unsettle J with his comment. In reality, the warm up never started and it was a hot battle from the beginning.

Ash dashed to the side, trying to force J to waste her shot. However, the grey-haired woman wasn't that stupid and waited for Ash to come closer to her. The stamina of both individuals seemed to come to an end, making it difficult to keep standing.

Ash used a zigzag way towards the woman, jumping from side to side. Unfortunately, some of his lower clothes started to burn and Ash had to extinguish the fire. The assassin decided to rip that piece of textile off, but it took too much time.

Hunter J showed her athleticism again when she hit a thrust kick on Ash that sent him flying into a corner. The impact made Ash dazed and so an easy prey for the bounty hunter.

The raven-haired youth stood with his back to a corner, reducing his opportunities to a minimum. J already targeted the head of the assassin, leaving Ash without much chance. The hunter stood in front of a large window, but Ash had no possibility to push her through it.

The sweat on Ash's face mixed with the blood that flooded down his head. He had to take more than expected, involving several cuts and wounds.

In the moment when everything seemed hopeless, Persian appeared again. The cat could extinguish the fire on her tail and walked from the kitchen through the living room, seemingly looking for the open entrance door.

'It seems that I have my own bullet, right here!' Ash thought, looking right to the cat. Persian gazed towards Ash, awaiting some unfriendly treatment from him.

Within a second Ash strode out and kicked Persian with full power, sending the cat flying straight to J. The hunter, however, could shoot, but the bullet only brushed against Ash' skin. The cat Pokémon hit the hunter, forcing her to fell backwards through the window.

Although it wasn't deadly, because they were still on the first floor, hunter J crashed alongside the cat into set of barrels out side the house. That should knock her off for the moment.

The situation within the house became more and more intense. The assassin was about to leave through the entrance door, knowing that the girl upstairs couldn't survive anyway.

However, something stopped him to leave. The words of J ran through his head again.

' … Giovanni paid me to kill his daughter …' Ash grabbed his head, not knowing what to do right now. 'Why should a father want to kill his daughter? Isn't she part of the templar like Giovanni at the end? …'

Ash looked to the back, standing at the entrance door. On the ground, he found a key, seemingly dropped by J when she was forced to leave the house. The assassin walked to the key, picking it up.

'What do I do?' Ash wondered about the intentions that led him do this.

Ash suddenly had a change of heart, not accepting the fate of the girl upstairs. There was no reason that she had to die right now, at least he should rescue her from the fire, but after that, she had to take care of herself.

The assassin knew that he had to be fast if he didn't want to burn inside this house. Running up the stairs, Ash reached the door of the first floor. He placed the key into the keyhole, opening the door.

The door didn't opened completely, seemingly blocked by some debris in that room. Ash took one-step to the back and kicked the door open, destroying it, but nobody would care for that.

He was immediately enveloped by a large cloud of smoke, making him coughing. Slowly he thought that there was no hope for the person that was inside this room.

The assassin waved with his arms, but the smoke wouldn't vanish. Ash closed his eyes and maintained his aura, trying to use the difficult eagle eye right now.

At first, everything in his mind was black, but after some seconds of concentration, Ash spotted two blue auras at the corner of the room. The circumstances that they still emitted aura meant that they have to be alive.

Ash held some cloth in front of his mouth, protecting his lung against the smoke. Before he reached the two individuals, Ash stepped onto something. The assassin bowed down, grabbing the object. It was a picture of a family, but the man didn't look like Giovanni, confusing the assassin.

'Why is here a picture of another family?' Ash thought, but his eyes then clued on the girl of this photo. 'She looks similar to that girl that I met yesterday'

The assassin looked to the side, noticing a yellow plush toy on the ground. Miraculously it wasn't hit by any fire so far and Ash took it alongside the photo with him. He didn't know why he took them with him, but something told him that these things were important.

After he stored these things within his cloak, Ash approached the corner of the room. Although it was nearly impossible to see something within the smoke, Ash spotted two silhouettes. One of it was definitely a human and the other one was a small creature, most likely a Pokémon.

'I should bring them out! This smoke is dangerous!' Ash thought. Meanwhile the first fire started to emerge this floor, rising the temperature to new highs. It would be a game of luck to escape this house now.

The assassin decided to put the girl onto his shoulders into a fireman's carry position. That assured that he could still use his hands to carry the small Pokémon as well.

'She is very light!' Ash thought and started his way out of the house. The assassin used his sense of orientation to remember every step that he took to come here. Occasionally a small piece of burning material fell off the ceiling onto the brunette and Ash had to shook his whole body to throw it off her.

At the door, he noticed that the stairs were eclipsed with fire, making this way rather uncomfortable for the non-fireproof human.

'Damn! What now?' The surrounding wouldn't hold any longer and the house would collapse. Ash' next move wouldn't be good for his knees but it was thousand times better than to burn.

The hooded man took two steps to the back before he ran towards the stairs. The fire couldn't stop him to jump all the way down, landing hard on the floor. Ash fell over, almost loosing his grip on May and Eevee.

His old wound on his leg couldn't stand this impact and Ash cracked his bone. It wasn't completely broken, but that didn't decreased the pain in his leg. Ash bite on his tongue, refusing to scream like a sissy.

Outside of the house were several onlookers, but nobody of them really cared about the safety of some of those people inside the house. Giovanni, owner of the house, wasn't very popular among his neighbors.

Luckily, for Ash, the house possessed a back door. The last thing that he needed was to be seen by those people who would just want the money for his 'head'.

He left the burning house with May and Eevee. The assassin coughed heavily, but the wound on his chest was the worst one of him. In the backyard of the Maple residence was a bench and Ash thought it was the best idea to put these two individuals onto it.

Ash lowered himself to allow May to roll onto that bench, relieving himself from the additional weight. The small fox Pokémon was put beside her. Once both of them laid on that bench, Ash recognized the brunette.

'It was her? And that's the small Eevee!' Ash looked at these two, questioning himself what was that all about. Just in time it started to rain and the flames that enveloped the house retreated against the water.

"Great!" Ash said sarcastically, pulling his hood deeper down into his face. This whole mission was a failure and he could just hope that Lucario had more luck than him.

For a moment Ash just stood there and looked into the sky, enjoying the cold water that splashed into his face. The assassin got more wounds than ever before and now he had to deal with two more creatures. One of them should originally be one of his targets, but somehow he couldn't do it. He just couldn't do it!

The hooded figure pulled that picture out of his cloak, looking at it with great attention to details. That man wasn't Giovanni and the woman looked to happy for a templar. The small girl there had a big similarity with that girl that he rescued moments ago.

Ash wasn't the most intelligent one and so he looked multiple times to the brunette and then to the picture, assuring himself that these two were the same person. They had the same hair, the same eyes and even the same smile.

'Is that here her family?' The Kanto native sat onto the ground, stretching his good and his 'bad' leg. It hurt like hell, but at least he was still alive. 'I suppose that she isn't Giovanni' daughter then and that means that I don't have to kill her!' Ash tried to convince himself, looking for excuses to spare the girl' life.

Ash decided that he wouldn't kill her! Even if master Oak said otherwise. The fire at the house was extinguished, but it looked heavily damaged and without a lot of money you couldn't save it from becoming a ruin.

Without the fire the streets sank into darkness and the moon was the only source of light. It was time to leave this place.

Ash stood up and walked away. He rescued these two and in his opinion he did enough for them already. Once he was on the street he heard the voice of the girl. At first she just coughed heavily before she stammered some words.

" … Mum …. Dad …" The brunette seemed to be unconscious, but she still talked, calling for her parents. The small fox-like Pokémon seemed very exhausted and needed attention, but Ash wasn't the right person for that.

Ash kept walking, not risking the chance to become weak. It wasn't allowed to be weak and Ash wouldn't start with that now.

" … Eevee … Dawn …' The brown-haired girl continued to calling different names, although all of them weren't common for the leaving assassin.

Ash didn't turn around, fastening his walk. In a few seconds he would be away from them and then they won't be his problem anymore.

' … Ash …' This was the last word of May before she passed out again.

The blood in Ash' veins froze when he turned around. For a couple of minutes he just stared at the bench with the girl and the fox. Did he hear right? Did this girl really said his name?

The assassin turned around again, not facing them anymore. He lifted his feet, ready to leave before he stopped it. The fight inside of Ash' head had to be enormous. Eventually he turned around again and looked at the two.

" … Damn it …"

* * *

**End of chapter 9 and I'm proud that I could do a story without using my OC so far. A lot of this chapter was predictable, but it was obvious. This is an Advanceshipping story after all. If there is some logical problem within the story you are allowed to tell me. **

**Some things for understanding:**

**- Ash crashed through the window in the living room in the beginning**

**- Eevee is very young and can't break the door in May's room**

**- Someone told me in his review to burn this Persian (I partially did)**

**- It wasn't the best scenario with the fire accident? Sorry for that.**

**- During the small 'hostage' scene J waited on the stairs**

**- Will you experience a fight of Ash where he doesn't get a wound? (I don't know)**

**- You wonder about Ash' decisions? (I too)**

**- Nobody died in this chapter (Giovanni, Jesse, May, Eevee, Persian and J have survived)**

**- I will use them for a epic battle**

**- The Maple residence' almost burned down**

**- How can May knows Ash' name? (Has to do something with their past)**

**It seemed that the May's role as Giovanni' stepdaughter is over, but there will still be some interactions between them. However, I can't tell you anything right now, although I plotted everything out until chapter 19.**

**Ash and May will both get one MORE Pokémon! You can leave suggestions for them. **

**The next chapter will be coming when I receive 40 reviews overall. (6 to go)**

**Please don't flame. (Advaneshipping, minor Ikarishipping)**

**Please review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Let's finish the first ten chapters of this story with that one. I'm thankful for the reviews on the last chapter and I'll try to give you a new chapter every three days. At the end of the last chapter, I said that Ash and May will both get one more Pokémon and you can decide which one. This story is rated M for violence, bad language, blood, murder and deaths. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon or Assassin's Creed**

**R&R!**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

The silhouette of a hooded man walked through the empty alleys of Petalburg, carrying another person across his shoulders. Once he crossed the last big market square, he entered the abdomen district. Luckily, not all the guards liked the downpour and they sat in various pubs to drink or to flirt with the staff.

The rainwater got a light red tint when the blood dropped off Ash' chest onto the ground, however, it was soon washed away. The pain in his right leg made Ash crazy, because with every step it became worse, causing a painful expression on his face.

'Slowly but surely I doubt that I'm a master! That bitch almost killed me and I screwed everything up!' Ash' self-confidence was shaken after this mission.

The assassin tilted his head to the left, looking at the girl that made him some trouble as of late. She was still knocked out, occasionally coughing and murmuring.

'Oh boy Ash, what are you doing? Rule number 27: Never bring a stranger to your hideout!' Ash thought for several minutes before he realized.

'I broke seventeen rules today! Damn, Lucario should never know about that …' The raven-haired killer thought about his next steps and he decided that he would hide this girl from Lucario and Pikachu.

'This won't turn out very well …' Ash sighed while walking through the last alley that led to his hideout. This was the same alley that used Il Lupo two days ago to escape to the warehouse.

The wanted man became weak in his knees, seemingly because of the lost of blood. Just at their sight, you would assume that Ash was in a more critical condition than the girl was.

He finally reached the large plaza and he saw the former thief guild in front of him. On top of the house was still Pidgeot and the bird looked puzzled when he spotted the assassin with his two 'souvenirs'.

When Ash approached the entrance door, the flying type tilted his head to the left and then to the right, inspecting the 'out-of-character' - killer.

"Shush! Please don't tell Lucario and Pikachu about this!" Ash looked up, staring his Pokémon into his eyes. The gaze of the assassin revealed that he was dead serious about this. However, Pidgeot had woven together his own reality.

"Pidgeot geot Pidg ot" The bird Pokémon looked at his master with an evil grin, revealing his 'dark side'.

Somehow, Ash could understand his bird Pokémon and blushed heavily. He shook his head and he would also use his hands, wouldn't it be Eevee that he had to carry.

"That's not the reason that I brought her here" Ash exclaimed, but his face was still red. However, the additional blood in his face reduced the blood in his arms. Eevee almost fell to the floor, but Ash could hold onto her tail with two fingers.

The large full-evolved Pokémon didn't seem convinced, still snickering like a small Pidgey. Ash lowered his head, covering his blush with his hood.

'Who does he think he is?' The assassin entered the house, sighing in relief that Lucario wasn't back now. 'I'm not such a horny!'

He had the whole house to search for a hiding spot inside this hiding spot. The girl would only stay here for the night, recovering from her wounds and smoke inhalation. Once she was fit, Ash would remove her from here.

Ash decided that the girl should rest in 'his' room, because he had the key to lock it up, preventing Lucario to become suspicious. On the other hand, would he become suspicious, because of the locked door?

On top of the stairs, Ash heard the entrance door open. There was no doubt that this was Lucario, forcing Ash to run into his room and throwing May onto his bed. The small fox Pokémon landed somewhere else, although it wasn't far away from May.

The assassin dashed out of the door, closing and locking it before the aura Pokémon walked up the stairs. Around Lucario's waist was still the waist bag with Pikachu and Ash could also hear a snore from him.

"It's good to see you, master! I'll think we need some time to catch up." The aura Pokémon stepped towards Ash's room, thinking that it was a good idea to talk there.

"I think we should go downstairs." Ash pushed his Pokémon slightly down the stairs, leaving the forbidden door. It wasn't common for him to have secrets from his Pokémon, but Ash knew that his honor was on the line. A master assassin who saved his target? How stupid sounds that?

Soon both of them sat at their table, resting their poor legs. Ash needed a glass water to clean his throat after all the smoke that he inhaled.

"Who should start?" The blue Pokémon started the talk.

"At first I want to know where Giovanni is right now!" Ash demanded with a stern voice, distracting from the soft side that he showed a few hours ago.

"Like you wanted, I followed him through the streets. After a few minutes, he and his daughter got into a carriage, forcing me to use my aura to follow them further. It was hard not to loose them, although I'm a good runner, but then they entered the palace square. I was forced to end the chase after I saw all of the guards around there, but I'm sure that Giovanni sought refuge at the king's castle, master!" Lucario explained coherently to his master.

"That makes the whole scenario more difficult!" Ash placed his hand under his chin, thinking about the aftereffects of the failed mission.

"And what could you do, master?" Lucario asked his master.

"What?!" Ash was slightly caught of guard, looking puzzled. His attitude towards Lucario changed within a second, putting him out of character again.

"When I returned to that house of Giovanni, I saw only a burned ruin, but I couldn't sense any aura there, master! Did you find that girl?" The aura Pokémon started to make this whole situation very uncomfortable for the assassin.

"Yeah …. I found her." Ash replied unsurely. Secretly he hoped that this was Lucario's last question, but he was wrong all the way.

"And how was it?" In normal circumstances, Ash would answer the questions straight away, but this time he had to change the truth into his favor.

"How was what?" The black-haired man played dumb, avoiding the questions of Lucario. In realty, Ash knew what Lucario was about to ask.

"How was it to kill an underage girl?" The question was really weird, even for Ash. The assassin shifted his position on his chair, adjusting his position to some strange one.

"Uh … different …?" That was everything that escaped Ash' mouth, although there was no way that he could actually know how it would feel. The tense facial expression of Ash revealed his uneasiness to think about all of these 'lies'.

The 'servant' seemed satisfied with the answer, but knowing Lucario, Ash awaited the next question and it came straight ahead.

"By the way, what's wrong with Pidgeot? He seemed to be very amused about something, but the only thing he told me was that it wasn't my business and that I should let you have your fun." His words caused Ash to change his skin color like a chameleon.

"I'll get this bird …. Next time …. Sure he'll …." Ash murmured under his breath, thinking about possibilities to torture his Pokémon.

"Did you say anything, master?" Lucario asked. However, his thoughts were soon thrown upside down when he saw Ash' 'new' wounds and decided to take care of them.

The assassin wasn't annoyed by that, however, he acted like a jerk to pretend that everything was normal, insisting that Lucario should prepare dinner instead. Once the aura Pokémon was in the kitchen, Ash walked to the large water tank in their house. At first, he drank several glasses of the clean liquid before he decided that the girl upstairs should have some water of her own.

He took a large pot, filling it with water before he went upstairs again. He opened the door with the key and entered the room that contained the two biggest mistakes of his life; at least it seemed like that at the moment.

There was she, still on that bed. It was a weird sleeping position, although it was Ash who threw her onto that bad like that. Her clothes were black like the night and smelled like smog, but that was the smallest problem of the brown-haired girl.

The assassin put the pot onto the small night table, making not a simple noise. It wasn't likely that the girl would wake up any time soon, but Ash wasn't very excited to show her who lives here. The brunette laid on the stomach, with one arm under her belly and the other hanging over the edge of the bed.

The raven-haired assassin pulled his hood to the back and scratched his head, noticing that this was a weird position for a person who needed rest.

He decided that he would turn her onto her back, assuring that she could breathe without problems. The whole act turned out to be an embarrassing moment when he realized that her clothes were soaked with water, fitting very tightly on her skin. That revealed some aspects of her body that Ash didn't see so far, because the assassin had no prior romance, being because of his full schedule.

Unintentionally he blushed, remembering Pidgeot's 'words' a few minutes ago. After some weird moments, the brunette finally laid on her back and Ash covered her well-toned body with the covers.

'Come on, Ash! Stay focused!' Ash mentally ordered himself while picking Eevee up from the ground. Unlike the brunette, the brown-haired fox had minor injuries, but Ash wasn't a doctor but rather an in-patient.

Soon the little Eevee could be found at the end of the bed, sleeping or being unconscious.

'They have water and they have a bed, what else? ..' The assassin looked around, thinking about the moment when the girl will wake up and he was sure that she wouldn't be quiet. For him it was the best idea to write a small anonymous note for these two, hoping that they wouldn't make a scene.

Soon he was finished, put the note near the bed onto the night table before he left the room again, and closed the door with the key.

'The only thing that could make anything worse is Lucario …' His thoughts were interrupted by the said Pokémon who yelled for his master. Seemingly, the dinner was ready and Ash almost ran down the stairs, afraid what could happen when Lucario uses his aura ability within the four-walls.

The two had dinner and Ash ate more than usual, if that's even possible. During the whole scenario, Lucario remembered that Pikachu was still in his waist pack.

The yellow Pokémon was awake when the aura Pokémon put him out of the pack, but it was obvious that the small rodent would have a terrible headache for the next time. Drinking alcohol wasn't the best idea of Pikachu and everybody knew that the small mouse would have a hangover the next day.

"I hope that will teach him!" Ash exclaimed who was visible upset with the behavior of his 'most-loyal' Pokémon.

"I'm sure that he'll learn from his mistakes. Everyone has this moments when we do something that we'll regret later on!" Lucario told his master, but the words seemed to have a special affect on the mistake-maker.

"Yeah … you're right. I think I'll go to bed now." The Kanto native went to a small room near the kitchen that contained a small couch. Lucario was bewildered by that, because the room of his master was originally upstairs.

"Is there a reason that you don't use your room, master?" The middle-sized Pokémon cleaned the table and walked to the kitchen, looking with one eye into the room of his master. The assassin was fast asleep, snoring like the familiar Snorlax.

"Typical Ash …" Lucario said, not knowing that his master heard this statement, but he kept silent. After the aura Pokémon finished his duties he went to his small sleeping spot in the living room.

The rain wouldn't stop during the night, filling everything with water that wasn't sealed. However, a thunder or lightning never came.

* * *

Next day ….

* * *

The downpour had stopped several hours before the sunrise, making it possible to see the sun rising. A lot of different things happened during the last night and Ash would be shocked if he knew them.

Speaking of the assassin, Ash was the first one to wake up and making himself ready for the day. According to the calmness, Lucario seemed to know nothing about the guest.

"Good! At first I should check if the girl woke up already!" The assassin made his way to the stairs, not knowing that the said girl was already awake.

…

The bright sunbeams made their way through the curtains, ending on the covers of the only bed within the room. The small fox at the end of the bed had shifted his position during the night, looking almost too comfortable.

Under the blankets was a brunette that still had some ash on her face, however, it didn't reduced her beauty. Her clothes dried during the whole night, but the deep black color was still inside the fibers, smelling like a burnt chicken.

May slept really well last night, feeling refreshed, although she coughed several times in her sleep. Besides this, everything seemed perfect and that was the problem. The brown-haired girl hadn't a perfect morning since an eternity.

The eyes of the orphan shot wide open and she sat up, still holding the covers tightly to her body. The first seconds were full of curiosity and amazement.

'Where am I?' The brunette stared into the large room that contained her at the moment, not missing any important detail there.

She moved her feet under the covers, touching something that laid right onto it. Once she looked down she noticed her Eevee and it was a hard time for her to remember the events last night.

'Eevee?' One hand of her moved towards the small fox Pokémon and she was relieved to feel that the fox was still breathing. Letting out a sigh of relief, May fell back onto her back, enjoying the warmth of the mattress under her.

Her throat felt dry and she coughed several times again, even waking up Eevee in the process. Without hesitation, the small fox jumped to her beloved one, cuddling with her in this unknown area.

Several minutes of pure hugging were interrupted by the sudden memories that popped into her head again.

"I remember Eevee: the killer, the lock door, the voices, the heat and the … smoke!" It wasn't the best idea to speak long statements with a dry throat, deepening May's wish to drink something.

Her gaze went through the room again, searching for something that could contain water. It took her sometime to realize that a pot of water was right next to her. Taking several sips from the utensil, May put the water onto the ground, allowing Eevee to drink something as well. It felt fresh and she knew that she was alive, but that was the strange thing for her.

"Eevee, do you know who rescued us?" The brunette looked down to a puzzled Pokémon and Eevee shook her head, explaining that she didn't know anything either.

"I just know that the smoke went into our room and we crouched into the corner before we passed out!" May put her finger onto her chin, like always when she thought or pretended to do so.

Her expression changed again and the brown-haired teenager searched everywhere for something, even lifting Eevee up from the ground to see if her precious item was under her. However, her search wasn't praised with success.

"No!" She exclaimed, not believing that she lost the two most important things of her life inside an inferno. "It can't be gone!" The brunette put her hand over her heart, starting to sob lightly. The fox Pokémon was immediately there to support her owner.

Within seconds she felt better, but there was still one problem, two to be correct. First of all : Where was she? Second : Who rescued her?

The girl jumped out of her bed and walked to the door, trying to get a better look at her surroundings. Due to the wish of a certain boy, the door couldn't get open unless you have a special key for it.

'Oh no, not again.' May's first thoughts took her back to the time when she was the first time locked in. However, this time the window was much bigger, allowing to get out. When the brunette took the first steps to the glass she noticed a small note on a small table.

"What's that?" May picked the note and started to read it.

_I know that you're really confused, but please stay quiet! You have water on your night table and you can drink as much as you want. I'll bring you some food later on, but please stay quiet. You aren't held hostage and I'll let you go when you are better and nobody sees it! There are some individuals in this house that shouldn't know that you are here. STAY QUIET! _

This short note didn't give May much information, but one thing was for sure : She should stay quiet.

"No name and no information about our whereabouts!" The brunette sighed, putting the piece of paper back onto the wooden ground. Her curiosity took the best of her when she walked to the window. Outside was a huge plaza, but the brunette didn't recognize this district, unsettling her about the safety of this residence.

However at the moment there was no reason to be upset, at least she was safe and Eevee was with her. Her thoughts went back to her house and the precious night, making her wonder what happened to the belongings of her family.

* * *

Ash stumbled through the house, looking for any sign of activity. He thought about how he should spent this day, including his mission to hid this girl from Lucario.

'Before I go upstairs I should see if I find some clean clothes for her! Oh boy Ash, since when are you so thoughtful?' His whole personality had a strange turn during the last day, however, he didn't seem to notice much of it.

The young man searched through the rooms, hoping to find something that could fit the brunette. Happily, the thieves that owed this house before had stolen a lot of things and of course clothes, too. In a big box he found several women's clothes and ,although, Ash wasn't a fashion guru he picked up some interesting clothes for the girl upstairs.

Seconds later, Ash was on top of the stairs, looking at the door. He took his key and opened the door, but he didn't enter the room, instead he threw the clothes right into the room. What Ash didn't know was that the clothes landed right on a small fox that played on the ground.

Without looking for his' guests,' Ash closed the door when he heard the voice of his familiar servant, forcing him to reschedule his visit with the girl right now.

* * *

May sat on her bed when the door opened and at first, she was a bit scared, but the other side of her was curios. Once the door was a gap wide open, someone throw a bundle of clothes into the room. Unfortunately, these clothes landed right on Eevee, making the fox short-term 'blind'.

"Hey …" The brunette exclaimed, but the door was already closed again and May heard the noise of a closing lock. She wasn't sure if she should be thankful or angry about the fact that she couldn't see this person.

At first, however, Eevee needed help with the heavy clothes on top of her and May helped the little fox, lifting the clothes off her.

"Are those for me?" The girl ogled at these clothes, wondering if she should wear them. At least, it were girl's cloths, assuring the brunette that these were for her.

At the moment, every cloth was better than the ones she wore right now.

The brunette changed into her new set of clothes that consisted of a white blouse with sleeves that went down to her elbows, a blue miniskirt that allowed a good look at her legs and some sort of brown sandals with a small heels. Although, these clothes were just borrowed they looked better than her old one's ever had.

"Either our savior is a girl with a great fashion sense or a boy who wants to see much of my legs!" May looked at her new clothes, trying to figure out who could be the one who saved her. The small fox Eevee, however, was fascinated how beautiful her owner could be.

"That are nice clothes Eevee, right?" The brunette lifted her small Pokémon up, noticing the black fur of her. "Eevee, I think you need a bath right now, but I don't want to use our drink water for that."

Of course, she could shout for someone to bring her more water, but the letter said stay quiet. On one of those tables, the brunette spotted another cloth utensil. It wasn't thrown into the room like the other ones, so May assumed, it wasn't for her.

It was a square and white cloth with a black symbol on it. However, May didn't know this sign that looked like a triangle where the bottom side had a slight curve. For unknown reasons this cloth was still in the room and May thought, she could think of a better use for it.

Without permission, she took this cloth and wrapped it around her head, using it as a bandana.

"What do you think, Eevee?" The bandana-wearing girl posed for the fox, showing off her new headdress.

The brown-normal type squealed with happiness, confirming that it looked good on her. Both of them laughed about May's new found fashion sense, but stopped quickly when they remembered that they should be quiet.

* * *

The assassin looked around for an important utensil of his job. He went into the kitchen and into the living room, hoping to find it somewhere.

The aura Pokémon looked at him for some minutes, wondering why his master didn't look into his own room.

"Master, maybe it's in your room! Should I look upstairs?" Lucario suggested, almost not waiting for the answer when he stepped to the stairs again.

"No!" Ash exclaimed, although he knew that the blue Pokémon had to be right. The utensil had to be in his room.

"I mean … I'm sure that it's here somewhere!" Ash pretended to look around, hoping to fool Lucario. However, the aura Pokémon wasn't convinced and faced his master toe-to-toe.

"Do you hide something in your room, master?" Lucario raised an eyebrow, therefore he had to be serious about this accusation.

"Why do you think that? I only searched for this simple cloth, Lucario!" Ash defended himself, towering the smaller creature. It was a desperate try to intimidate his servant.

"Simple cloth?" Lucario asked in disbelief. "We're talking about the recognition feature of every assassin, master!" The small speech of Lucario almost turned into a rant when the aura Pokémon continued.

"Do you remember the last time when our opponents infiltrate our castle? They dressed up like assassins and many of our 'brothers' died back then. Master Oak didn't introduce these things without a reason. If you ever see another assassin you have to force him to show his recognition feature, otherwise you are forced to kill him!"

Lucario really had bad memories and the Pokémon insisted that his master always carried the small white cloth with the symbol of their organization with him.

The assassin was almost forced to back down from his Pokémon, but he kept his cool. After his rant, the aura Pokémon awaited some sort of punishment for his outburst, but his master would never punish someone without a reason.

"You're right, Lucario! It's not a simple cloth and I will search for it when I came back." The raven-haired killer patted his Pokémon on his back, surprising it again. Something had changed Ash.

"Where are you going, master?" The blue creature asked, wondering what his master would do after the failed mission yesterday.

"I'll try to find some stores where the sellers don't know me and I'm sure that this will be a difficult task." Ash chuckled a bit, but his voice was still serious. "Do you want to come along?"

"No master, I can't." Lucario asked, making Ash wondering. "You see that Pikachu still has to become sober after last evening and it would be irresponsible to let him alone." The aura Pokémon had a point there, although Ash wasn't excited about the idea that his servant would be in their hideout while the girl was still upstairs. It was time for another lie.

"Okay, but don't be surprised when you hear some noises from upstairs! I asked Pidgeot to … uh .. to repair the roof and you can imagine that he isn't very skilled with that!" Ash almost face palmed when he came up with that.

"Okay, master! Do you want me to clean your room while you are away?" Lucario asked, trying to find a reason to enter Ash' room. He was sure that something had to be in there.

"No need Lucario!" Ash waved off. "I opened the windows so the room can air out." 'Why is Lucario so obsessed with my room?' The naïve assassin thought to himself.

"Okay, master." Lucario stopped with his questions, knowing that his master could be very stubborn at times. Secretly Lucario thought to look into his room, solving this mystery about his master' uneasiness today.

"Thank you and I assume that you'll make lunch today?" Ash asked, receiving a quick nod from the aura type. "I'll hope that you prepare extra much today, because I think I will eat more than seven plates." The greedy assassin throw one last glance to his servant before he left the house.

Lucario decided to do his duties first before he stepped up to his game, sniffing around.

* * *

The raven-haired assassin walked alone through the alleys, avoiding everyone. It was his mission to search for shops that didn't want to kill him, because of his money, however, he wasn't lucky. Near every shop was a wanted poster, minimizing his chances to find a shop that could serve as a mark.

"Damn it!" Ash exclaimed after he saw the twentieth wanted poster of him. 'We have enough food, but we still need other supplies!' Ash thought, leaning against the wall of a dark alley.

'Maybe I'll have more luck when I search from the roofs.' The assassin started to climb the near house, using several barrels to reach the ledge of a window. After that, he grabbed the notch of a broken out timber. Next he turned around, jumping to the wall on the other side. He almost slipped off the ledge but his gloves prevented such a fall. Above him was a balcony and Ash climbed over the railing, however, he wasn't still on the roof. Fortunately the balcony possessed a ladder to the roof and with that Ash reached the top of the house within seconds.

'Let's start the second try!' Ash thought quickly, looking down to the street. There were wanted poster everywhere, annoying the assassin.

Between these houses it was usual to have some sort of connections, like cable or holders. They were always used to suspend flags or banners during important festivals, however, some of them were robust enough to hold a human.

When Ash decided to use one of them he stretched his arms to the outside, holding his balance. Although, he was still wounded, he could use most of his athletic abilities. Ash reached the next series of houses and he ogled down the street. Again, there were always one wanted poster near a shop.

The raven-haired boy then watched two guards who ripped on e of those wanted poster off, confusing Ash. However, they didn't give up or something, but they replaced the old poster with a new one. It wasn't easy to read the poster from the distance, however, Ash could see that his bounty was increased.

'Great!' Ash thought sarcastically. 'I didn't even kill one person last night and my bounty became still more.'

His long sigh was interrupted when he heard a voice that was calling for help. Ash ran across the roof, ignoring the guards. Happily, he could reach the cause of the cry when he jumped over the gap between two houses, avoiding three guards that were beneath it.

Inside a small yard he spotted another three guards that surrounded one single man. On the back of their armor they had the sign of the king, seemingly being loyal follower of him.

The scared man had black hair that went down at the side of his face. Something that could catch your attention was his headband that was wrapped around his head. Besides that he wore a garment that went to his upper thigh. Around his neck was a cap that hung down his back. All of his other clothes showed a lot of ornamentation that were mainly of gold or other expensive things.

Ash decided to eavesdrop on that argument between these two parties. It wasn't very often that Ash wasn't the reason of a guard overrun.

"You can cry as much as you want, but nobody will help you!" One of those guards exclaimed, pushing the black-hair to the back.

"Why should the king want my arrest? I did everything he wanted!" The man defended himself and Ash thought that he was one of them who helped the templar.

"We appreciate that, but unfortunately your friend Conway said that you developed some weapons for the now-defunct assassin guild!" One of the guards replied, pushing the poor man to the wall. The face of the accused went pale.

"WHAT?!" He exclaimed, followed by laughter but Ash could hear that it was fake. "Conway isn't my friend! We're rivals and he is only envy because I'm the better artist and inventor!"

The guards didn't seem convinced by that, not releasing their grip on that artist. One of them already pulled out a chain to tie him up.

"We're sorry!" The guard said sarcastically before he grabbed the inventor by his arms. "The king said no 'excuses'!" The black-haired man tried to defend himself, but he wasn't a fighter unlike the guards.

"What are you doing?" He yelled, but no one responded to that. Ash looked to the streets and he was sure that the passer-bys could hear this argument but nobody cared to stop them.

"Tracey da Vinci, you're under arrest for helping the assassins to plan their wheeling and dealing!" They started to tie him up, ignoring everything that happen around them.

Ash looked at this scenario and wondered. 'It wouldn't be that bad if he helped that assassin's guild, but if he didn't it won't be that bad to rescue him nevertheless.' The assassin approached the ledge that was located above the guards.

It was three on one and Ash wasn't in a good condition to fight these three in a sword fight. Despite his previous failures Ash took his bow and 'two' arrows. He never tried to use two arrows at the same time, but this was the perfect opportunity to do so. He put the two wooden projectiles on the string, using his sense of proportion to bend those two arrows two each other, so that both would fly into different directions. Two of those guards stand really near to each other and Ash held his bow horizontally to the ground, aiming for the heads of the guards.

Two seconds later and the two guards slumped to the ground. One of them had the arrow right between his eyes and the other had the arrow right through his neck down to his vital organs. The third guard was shocked and looked up, seeing the most wanted man of Petalburg.

"Assassin!" He called out, but his chances were low to beat him on his own. The bearded man decided to escape, but Ash was already prepared for that.

Ash ran across the ledge and extended his hidden blade before he jumped down from the house, flying right onto the guard. His blade pierced the neck like always and the guard wasn't even able to run out of the backyard.

Ash looked at his victim, enjoying this moment of 'triumph' after all of his failures. He then turned around to see the man that he saved with his attack. Tracey looked very puzzled, but at the same time relieved as well. The artist didn't seem to be scared by Ash, although he was a wanted killer.

"Thank you, Thank you very much!" Da Vinci bowed down for his savior. The assassin approached the man with hope, because it became more than likely that this artist indeed helped the assassin guild.

"It was an honor to help a friend of my allies!" ash approached the artist, stepping over the body of the dead guard.

"Your allies?" Tracey wondered. A second look later and he recognized that man in front of him. "Are you the one who made such trouble in the last couple of days?"

"I am!" Ash clarified. "I want to know if you helped the assassin guild in this city! Yes or No?" Ash demanded a quick answer from the inventor.

"Uh …" The black-hair hesitated to give that answer, but this man helped him from those guards. "I think I can tell you. Yes, I helped the assassins but that was years ago before their guild was extinguished!" Ash already knew that this guild didn't exist anymore.

"Why are you so interested in that?" Tracey asked.

"Did you actually see some assassins of them?" Ash asked because he thought that Tracey should actually recognized him as an assassin.

"Of course I did!" He stated proudly. "They had black cloaks and every one of them had a minor crossbow with them."

'Black cloaks and crossbows?' Ash thought, because it wasn't common for assassins to change their colors. However, this explained why Tracey didn't see him as an assassin.

"Do you know that?" Ash asked and showed his hidden blade on his inner forearm.

"That's one of these hidden blades of the assassins! How did you get one?" Tracey ogled at the invention and he was always amazed by these weapons.

"You didn't get it? I'm an assassin and I thought you were a smart inventor!" Ash freaked out, startling the artist. But serious, Ash killed people, he had the hidden blade, he had a long cloak and this inventor couldn't think about the possibility that Ash was an assassin.

"Wow!" Tracey exclaimed. "Is the assassin guild of the city back?" The artist asked curiously, tilting his head in disbelief at the fact.

"I'm not from here!" Ash explained before he stopped with his secrets. "At first I have to know if you were disposed to help an assassin again!"

"I'm not sure …" Tracey revealed. "You see what I got for that! It is a crime to give an assassin food in this city and you can imagine what will happen to me if I help one of them again." The artist shivered at the thoughts of being thrown into jail and suffering from torture.

"That's a shame, because I need not a single witness that isn't on my side!" Ash said calmly, extending his hidden blade. He didn't intend to kill this artist but maybe he would change his mind. This was Ash's way to use his 'charm' to convince people.

The inventor started to sweat heavily, showing the fear.

"Wait, please wait!" Tracey fell to his knees, begging for his life. "Actual I think it wouldn't be a bad idea to help you." Ash' mission was accomplished.

"That's all I wanted to hear!" The assassin started to laugh and even Tracey let out some nervous chuckles, still not believing that the man only joked.

"Can we talk somewhere else? I think this backyard won't be empty forever!" Ash looked around, searching for a hideout for the next conversation.

"To be honest, this here is the backyard of my workshop!" Tracey pointed to the back door that led right to his study.

"Fine! Before we went inside, do you know a place where I can hide the bodies?" The Kanto native pointed to the three deaths that were on the ground.

"There is a dried stone well over there!" Tracey motioned to a fountain that was big and deep enough to hide the three guards. Ash took the bodies and threw them into that hole, hearing a loud dumb noise every time a guard landed on the ground of the fountain.

"Now let's go inside!" Ash followed the artist into his workshop. It was huge in Ash' opinion and he admired all the inventions, although he couldn't say what they were. On top of a table, he found a piece of paper that was too familiar to him.

It was the prototype of the wanted poster of him and Ash looked at the artist, learning that Da Vinci drew the picture of him.

"So you are the one that drew this picture that put the whole city against me!" Ash was furious and crumpled the piece of paper up, throwing it into the corner.

"Okay, I understand that you are mad, but you know that I'm not allowed to ignore king Cyrus orders!" Tracey defended himself.

Ash understood that, but something still bothered him. There were so many questions in his head about the former assassin guild and how they could be destroyed.

"How can I help you?" Tracey asked politely, sitting on a chair and enjoying a cup of tea. Near him were several blueprints about inventions that would change the world someday.

"Uh …." Ash didn't know what he could ask first, thinking about everything from his need of supplies to information about the templar.

"Can I see your blade again?" Tracey approached the assassin again, demanding to get a closer look at the main weapon of the assassins. Ash hesitated but what could an artist do with a weapon like that? He removed the hidden blade from his forearm and threw it to Tracey who caught it.

The inventor looked with great interest at this weapon, admiring the mechanism that allowed the blade to appear within a second. Several minutes later and Tracey got an idea how he could help the assassin.

"What would you think if I make you a second blade for your other arm?" Da Vinci held two fingers up, showing the numbers with his hand.

Ash looked confused, because no assassin had ever thought about the possibility to use two hidden blades but it would be definitely better than just one.

"I would think that it could help me a lot, but how long do you need for that?" Ash threw a glare towards the artist, because he hadn't weeks or months for that.

"I have every tool that I need right in my workshop!" He explained, pointing to the workbenches. "However, it would take some hours …" Tracey was interrupted.

"Only a few hours? That's just perfect!" Ash exclaimed, still not believing that this man is such a genius.

"Phew, I almost thought that it wasn't fast enough for you." Tracey sweat dropped, because he was still slightly afraid of that man.

"I will wait here!" Ash looked for a chair, sitting down and crossing his legs. Tracey da Vinci started with the preparations of his work, gathering every required material to his workbench. It was shortly before midday but Ash' eyes couldn't stand this calm.

With Tracey still working with the tools, Ash drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Ash's hideout ….

* * *

Lucario was almost ready with his preparations for lunch when he heard a crashing noise. The aura Pokémon walked into the living room, assuming that Pidgeot was still 'working' on the roof.

'What's wrong with that bird? He should only repair the roof and not doing a complete roofing!' The aura Pokémon crossed his arms, becoming suspicious once again.

Then the blue creature heard a second noise and he was sure that it came from upstairs. It was followed by something that Lucario could understand as something like 'Eevee … not!'.

That was enough for the calm servant and he ran to the outside. On top of the roof was Pidgeot, but the bird wasn't working, not at all. The giant bird slept and the roof looked the same way as always.

'Either Pidgeot is really lazy or master Ash lied to me!' Lucario thought quickly, remembering every event from this day and Ash's reactions.

The aura Pokémon knew what he had to do next when he dashed back inside, running up the stairs. Once he was in front of the door he tried to open it, but it was locked up.

'Why should master lock his room up?' The steel and fighting type searched through the different drawers of their hideout, hoping to find the spare key for the room. It was an adventure of its own when Lucario almost crashed half of the belongings of his master.

'Where is it? Where is it? …' Lucario knew that he saw the key somewhere before, but he couldn't remember where. Several minutes passed and the aura using Pokémon finally reached the last drawer that was located right next to the stairs.

'If the key isn't there I will marry a Meowth!' Lucario swore to himself, but happily, the key was there. It was a small and grey one, but it would do his duty.

Now it was time for Lucario to go upstairs and solving the mystery. Once he was in front of the door, he heard a 'girl voice' that was shushing a Pokémon. The servant raised his eyebrows, tucking the key into the keyhole. When the aura Pokémon turned the key and it made the familiar 'click' noise he heard a small shriek from the other side of the door.

The blue Pokémon opened the door and saw …

* * *

**That was chapter ten of 'Life in the shadows' and it should be obvious what Lucario saw next. There are still the questions about Ash and May's final Pokémon and it should be some that I can include without problems into the story. Don't forget that Pokéballs don't exist. **

**Some things for understanding: **

**- Ash hides May, because it would be a humiliation for him to admit that he disrespect the 'creed'**

**- Ash isn't the smartest one. He wasn't it in the anime and he isn't it in my story**

**- Ash has a new bounty but I didn't tell you how much it is (You can guess)**

**- I always wanted that May wears a bandana with the assassin symbol**

**- If you don't know how the assassin sign looks like you can use google for it**

**- Don't ask me about May's new clothes (I'm like Ash no fashion guru)**

**- I thought it would be the right time to introduce Tracey to that story**

**- Ash shot two arrows like Legolas (He's a master after all)**

**- The old assassin guild was a little bit different than Ash'**

**It wasn't a chapter full of action, but the situation around May and Ash is funny, at least for me. I hope that you are thrilled to read the next chapter as well, otherwise I'm sorry for my ideas.**

**Please don't flame (Advanceshipping and minor Ikarishipping)**

**Next chapter will come when I reach 50 reviews! (Only seven to go)**

**Please review!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Let's see what people Ash met so far. At the moment he knows Meowth, Lt. Surge, Lance, Harley, Butch (dead), Il Lupo (dead), Giovanni, Jesse, Persian, Hunter J, Eevee, Dawn, May and Tracey da Vinci. That are quiet a lot, but the story is FAR from over and you'll read a lot of interaction between Ash and May. The story is rated M for blood, murder, violence, bad language and deaths. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon or Assassin's Creed**

**R&R!**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

The first thing that Lucario saw when he opened the door to Ash' room was a pillow that flew into his direction. Trained to deal with harder projectiles, the aura Pokémon slapped the pillow away. However, there was nothing in this room and Lucario wondered if he was going insane.

The hidden girl, however, didn't know that the Pokémon didn't need eyesight to find someone. It wasn't a miracle that Lucario used his aura next to find these 'invaders', because he knew that they were here.

Once he closed his eyes to maintain his aura, the aura Pokémon sensed two auras and one of them encountered him one day before when he stood on top of that church before their mission had started.

To hide under the bed was really a childish hideout; however, the brunette didn't know it any better. The small fox Eevee crawled to the side of the bed, looking for the person or Pokémon. She then saw two black legs of an unknown Pokémon, forcing Eevee the retreat her position.

May thought it would be a good idea to hide under the bed to see if the person that entered the room was the one that rescued her. But if the person didn't call for her, it would be not her 'hero'.

"I know that you are here!" Lucario said, kneeling down to look under the bed and for his 'surprise' he saw two unfamiliar faces. At first, the aura Pokémon didn't know how to react, although it was his duty to defend their hideout against invaders.

May crawled out of her hideout, smiling. After that, the brunette stood up and approached Lucario before she gave him a hug. It was understandable that the blue Pokémon was very surprised by that.

"Thank you very much! You must be the one who rescued us from the flames!" May finished her hug and looked at the Pokémon, tilting her head. "Although I thought that you were a human. It seems that I didn't get my 'prince' again!" The brunette sighed and shook her head.

The whole scene confused Lucario more and more, stepping two steps to the back. May seemed to misunderstand that and waved with her hands.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to embarrass you or something, it's just that I thought I got another human friend, but a Pokémon is good, too." May giggled and looked to her Eevee.

Seeing that her beloved brown Pokémon wasn't brown at the moment, but black instead, May believed that her 'savior' could do something for her.

"I hope you don't mind, but could you give Eevee a bath? You see that she has a lot of smoke within her fur and I don't want her to get sick because of it." May pulled Eevee who was hiding behind her legs to her front, showing Lucario the black fur.

The aura user threw some awkward gazes to the fox, remembering it from last night. Bit for bit Lucario started to put the different pieces together. However, he didn't dare to think the last part, because it would mean that his master actually made a 'large' mistake.

"Hello?" May became impatient with the Pokémon, not believing that this slowpoke actually rescued her. Eevee seemed to realize that the blue creature wasn't their savior at all, forcing her to plead her 'mother' to go away. The small fox pulled on the brunette' legs, almost biting them to be noticed.

"Ouch .. What's wrong Eevee?" May kneeled down and rubbed the spot where her Pokémon bite her, trying to look angry. The small fox, however, shook his head, implying that Lucario wasn't the one who May thought he was.

It took Lucario abnormal long to get his mind straight before he could finally decide what he had to do.

"Is something wrong, sir?" May tried to be polite.

The face of Lucario said something different from being all right. Within a second, the aura Pokémon pushed the brunette back to the wall, pinning her almost by her hands. May was surprised by that and Eevee even attacked the rude, but the fox was easily repelled with a small aura shield.

"Let's get this straight! I didn't save you and you're not allowed to be here." Lucario was a nice guy, but what was more important that he followed the creed of his organization.

May was shocked and tried to free herself from the 'death grip' of this 'rude' Pokémon. However, she failed. Even Eevee couldn't do anything, but looked on.

"At first, tell me who you are!" Lucario demanded. Inside of his heart, he knew who she was but the aura Pokémon wanted to hear it from her.

"I-I-I'm M-M-May …" The brunette stuttered, loosing hope that this would end with a happy end.

Lucario had his confirmation and he released his grip on that girl. May was again surprised how fast the Pokémon changed his mood over the last couple of seconds.

_I knew it … master Ash lied to me, but why? …_ Lucario backed down _Should I be happy or angry? He disrespected the creed, but he showed some heart …. I need to know more about this …_

"Are you Giovanni's daughter?" Lucario asked. He tried to find the reason why Ash spared her life, he wanted to understand.

"Please don't call me that!" May demanded, looking very upset when she heard Giovanni's name. "I'm not more than his stepdaughter, although I could live without that!"

_Is that the reason? Did he spared her life because she wasn't his real daughter? However, why did he bring her to our hideout? _Lucario looked onto the ground, thinking about every possibility that could cause all of this.

"Do you remember anything from last night?" The aura Pokémon asked further questions, because he couldn't do anything to that girl as long as he didn't know her relationship to his master.

"I know that .. Uh … Giovanni paid a killer to eliminate me and then everything happened so fast …" The brunette started to sob slightly, remembering the events from yesterday.

"Was that killer in your house when the fire started?" The servant relaxed a bit, because he thought that his master didn't disrespect the creed completely. The brunette nodded and told that she heard the voice of that woman shortly before the smoke entered her room.

_A killer? The more questions I ask the more questions I need to get answered ….. Is that the reason that master was hurt that badly? _The aura Pokémon didn't know how to act now.

"You said that you didn't save me, but who was it then?" May asked curiously. In her opinion, there was no reason to be afraid of that Pokémon anymore.

Lucario hesitated to give an answer, because he didn't know if it was a good idea to tell her that it was probably his master.

"I don't know who it was …" Lucario was bad at lying and May noticed that. The aura Pokémon thought it was a good idea to use this fact that May didn't know his master.

"Okay …" May knew when someone lied to her, having years of experience when Jesse or Giovanni lied to her.

"Do you live here alone?" May was very sneaky, always acting very innocent while asking a question. With that, she could always hope to get the answers she wanted to get.

"No, my master lives here, too." Lucario said without thinking about it twice. It was too late when the aura user noticed that he unintentionally told the brunette about his master.

May smiled at him, knowing that she was right.

_She would be a good spy …. _Lucario thought, but he forgot these thoughts in an instant when he realized that he shouldn't act like an idiot.

"How old is your master?" May started again with the same strategy.

"Do you really think that this would work twice on me?" Lucario said proudly, although there was no reason to do so. May, however, knew how she had to deal with people or Pokémon that acted like Lucario.

"I'm sure you don't want to tell me because you're master is an old man who is too idle …" May didn't need to say anything more, because Lucario always defended the honor of Ash.

"Shut up! Master Ash is not a single day older than twenty and I'm sure he is …." Lucario realized that he should start to try to control his anger. At first, the aura user was angry with his master for breaking the creed, but now it was Lucario who broke it several times within a few seconds.

Again, May smiled at him. She was really a mean girl, but now she had two more information about the 'master' or three to be exact. She knew that he was male, that he was twenty years old and that his name was … Ash.

Oddly enough the name caused May to have some sort of Déjà-vu, however, she couldn't remember were she heard that name in the past. It was one of those memories that you desperately try to remember but you can't .

'Master Ash will kill me …' Lucario muttered under his breath, but loud enough for May to hear it. The brunette understood the situation of Lucario.

"He doesn't have to know!" She giggled, hoping that this could be the start of another friendship. However, Lucario was still a bit distrustful.

Then there was an awkward silence, because nobody knew how to continue this whole misery.

_I'm sure that master Ash has a reason to hide her in his room …. I shouldn't decide anything as long as he isn't here…. _Lucario's thoughts were interrupted by a pat on his shoulder.

"Could Eevee get her bath now?" May hold the evolution Pokémon in her arms, hoping to get enough trust from this Lucario. The aura user grumbled a bit, but what could happen when he helps her to wash her Pokémon.

Very confused and with thousands questions inside his head, Lucario showed May the way down to the other rooms.

It seemed that Ash could be very surprised when he returns from his 'walk'.

* * *

Ash was still fast asleep when someone shook him and the assassin's first reaction was to extend his blade. The figure that touched him stepped back, fearing some unfriendly threat from his 'guest'.

Slowly Ash opened his eyes and saw the artist that should help him to get some new inventions. Still sitting on that chair, Ash forgot to keep track of time.

"How late is it?" The assassin stretched his legs, noticing that his leg hurt slightly more than before.

_Damn it … It seems that it isn't working anymore …. _Ash looked at his legs, seeing that the bruise got bigger. It wouldn't be easy to get home with that.

"It's two hours past midday!" Tracey replied before looking at ash's leg. "What did you do there?" The artist started to examine the leg of the wounded killer.

"It looks really bad! Did you get it when you jumped off that roof?" Da Vinci implied the event that happened in front of his workshop.

"No, I got it yesterday." Ash responded, thinking back to the moment when he jumped off the stairs.

Tracey was amazed that he could still walk the whole time. "But how could you fight with a leg like that?"

Ash didn't know if it was right to tell Tracey about that, but this artist helped the assassins that were in this city two years ago.

"You know, at the moment it's my aura who holds my leg together, but it seems that I can't use this technique over a longer time period …" Ash felt the pain that shot through his calf, showing that his aura didn't work anymore.

"Aura, but I thought only aura guardians can use aura." Tracey looked puzzled, remembering the times when artists draw, assassins assassinated and aura guardians used aura.

"It would be a waste of talent if you have to be an aura guardian in order to use this." Ash chuckled. For him every aura guardian was weak, because they weren't able to rescue anyone.

Tracey didn't understand the dislike that Ash felt towards the aura guardians, but he shrugged it off. His attention was regarded back to the leg, thinking about a possibility to put it in a splint.

"To make one thing clear I don't want a splint!" Ash demanded, seemingly knowing what the inventor thought. It would be a shame for him to be dependent on a splint.

"But …" Tracey wanted to argue with the man, but Ash held his hand in front of his face, implying that there's no need for that.

"I have my own ways to treat wounds like that, however, …." Ash trailed off, remembering the last time he used his aura to heal a wound. " … I will be a bit confused after that, you know. The treat will cost a lot of energy, forcing me to be in a mental unstable state. I'll say some things that I don't mean, but that would be the best situation that could happen."

Tracey almost didn't dare to ask, but he did. "What would be the worst state that you could be in?"

"Listen carefully, because that's great or not. Depends on what you are to me." Ash chuckled, although there was no reason in the world for that. "I could transform into a madman who kills everyone in his path, but that only happens every ten times."

"Did that ever happened to you?" Tracey asked curiously, hoping to learn anything to defend himself when Ash would go insane.

"To be honest 'no'." Ash replied and the artist was relieved to hear that, but there was another question though.

"How many times did you use this technique?" It was important to know how the odds were that this 'madman-situation' could happen.

"Let's see, I think I used it eight times so far! That means that the odds were fifty to fifty this time." Ash smirked at the scared artist, knowing that this could end very bloody this time.

"Can you use it only on yourself?" Tracey didn't want to 'die' stupid, although he didn't want to die at all.

"I can use it on others as well, but there was no need so far." Ash leaned back in his chair, remembering the times when it had been useful to know this technique. His thoughts ended when he remembered his mom and it became too painful for him.

"Okay … b-b-but before you are going insane! Here!" Tracey gave the assassin two hidden blades. When Tracey thought about it, a second time he realized that it would be a better idea to give him his blades after the treatment.

"Ah … thanks!" Ash placed the blades under his forearms, admiring the new variety of possibly applications.

"So …. I will be away for …uh … quiet some time!" Tracey stepped back, walking to the door. The artist didn't want to see how Ash used his aura.

The assassin smirked and prepared for the treatment. In normal circumstances, he wouldn't use it, but this time it was necessary, otherwise his leg could break completely.

The assassin stretched his leg, making it possibly to treat it. Then he placed both of his hands around the bruise, gritting in pain a bit. His Lucario really did a great job when he taught his master how to use it, however, there were always disadvantages. Closing his eyes, Ash started to focus his aura between his hands. Around his leg appeared a blue light, but the bulk of it was inside his leg, influencing his natural healing process. It wasn't visible, but Ash could hear how his bone began to make sickening noises. The assassin started to loose some of his awareness, but he continued with the procedure. It took him always five minutes before his bone was one piece again, but his mind suffered from that.

Ash felt extremely dizzy and he almost passed out, but he regained control over his body. His eyes showed a different expression, looking rather disorientated than determined.

It seemed that this time there wouldn't be a massacre, but Ash was in a trance. He experienced everything subconscious and his decisions would come rather spontaneously.

It would take some time until his aura would be normal again, but this could take up to one hour at least.

Without noticing, Ash walked out of the door. Ash in his 'hypnotized' state walked through the alleys and it would need a miracle if he didn't meet any guards on his way home.

It took him almost thirty minutes to reach the large plaza in front of his hideout. Ash felt like he could throw up every minute and he asked himself why he didn't stay at the workshop, although his movements weren't controlled by him at the moment. For him it was almost like watching a movie, seemingly loosing all of his decision-making power.

The first thing that came into his mind was the first thing he did actually.

What the assassin didn't know was that he was followed by two people. Both of them saw him when he crossed a street while walking from one alley to another.

* * *

Lucario sat on a chair, watching the girl wash her Pokémon. The small Eevee wasn't a fan of the cold liquid. Every time the water touched her fur, the fox reacted like a cat and jumped away. This whole scene surprised even May who didn't know this habit from her Pokémon.

"Come one, Eevee!" May held onto her Pokémon, forcing her into the water. "You can't tell me that you want to be so dirty for your rest of your life!"

"EEEEVVVVEEEEEE!" The small fox protested with all of her might, putting all of her four legs on the edge of the water tube. It was senseless!

Lucario couldn't suppress a small chuckle. The brunette in front of him looked at the aura user, putting her hands on her hips. There was also a strange look on her face, meaning nothing good for the Pokémon.

"I'm your guest!" She yelled at him. "You have to help me!"

"I've never invited you!" Lucario replied calmly. He rested his head on his hand with his elbow on the table. The attitude towards the girl wasn't the best so far and the blue Pokémon waited eagerly for his master to return.

Like always, May was in a huff, holding her breath. It surprised Lucario that this girl was as stubborn as his master, but he thought tat this was their only similarity.

"Either you will help me or …." The brunette stopped her threat when she looked out of the window, spotting a figure that looked very unfit to her.

"Hey, who's that?" May pointed to the man out of the window and Lucario, almost falling asleep, turned to the glass. His eyes went wide when he spotted his master, but the bad thing was that behind him where two guards.

"What the hell?!" Lucario exclaimed and ran to the door. The curios May followed him, hoping to see the master of the blue Pokémon.

Smashing the door open, Lucario left the hideout. On the plaza was his master and the aura user could see that something was wrong with him.

_Oh no …. Why the hell did he use it outside of our hideout? _The blue creature crunched with his teeth, blaming his master for another mistake.

"Master!" Lucario screamed over the plaza, also startling the two guards out there. May's curiosity grew when she heard Lucario shouting for his master.

Ash didn't respond, tottering over the stone. Inside of his head, Ash knew that Lucario was calling for him, but somehow he couldn't react.

"Damn it!" Lucario looked in horror when he recognized the symbol of the templar on the armor of these 'guards'. Pidgeot on top of the house wasn't present and Lucario assumed that the bird flew away to search for some food.

"What's wrong with him?" May, complete unknowing to the dangerous situation, asked, approaching the plaza.

"Master used his aura to heal a wound, but he still suffers from the aftereffects!" The aura Pokémon saw his master several times when he used this technique. It was himself who taught him in using it, but he was always there to care for him when he was like 'that'.

"Aura? Aftereffects?" May looked puzzled to the Pokémon, not knowing anything that he told her. Lucario face palmed because he forgot that this girl wasn't an assassin.

"I have no time to explain that to you!" The aura Pokémon started to sprint over the plaza, but the templar were already very close to Ash. May was left behind, but she started to panic when she saw the two guards drew there swords.

_Although I've never heard of a case when a dizzy assassin had to fight, I don't want to see it now. _Lucario fastened up his speed and he almost reached his master, but the first guard already swung his sword onto Ash.

Lucario looked in horror and May clasped her hands in front of her face.

Ash, however, turned around and crossed both of his hidden blades above his head, parrying the hit. Everyone on the plaza was shocked to see the almost perfect reflexes of the assumed dizzy man.

The other guards immediately performed a horizontally sword cut to Ash's stomach, but the assassin leaned backwards, performing a matrix move.

Both guards now tried to hit Ash, but the assassin either parried the hit or dodged them. It was like his mind was out cold and his reflexes did the entire job. Impatiently both guards stood side by side and hit onto the assassin in front of them.

Ash easily did a forward roll, kneeling next to both men. Next, he stood up and stretched his arms to both sides with extended blades. Two victims at the same time when Ash pulled out his blades of the heads of the templar. Both men slumped down to the ground.

Lucario was left open-mouthed and the aura user wondered when Ash got the second hidden blade.

May closed her eyes, not able to see this kind of scenario. The brunette was against violence and senseless killing, although she hated some people in the city.

The aura Pokémon approached his master, not knowing what to ask first.

"Good job, master! I thought you were dizzy, because of your 'running style'." The blue fight type looked at his master, but he didn't got any response from him.

"Master?" The assassin then slumped down to the ground, seemingly completely worn out after the fight. His servant checked his pulse and it was abnormal high for his standards.

_I never saw this kind of aftereffect ….. _Lucario knew a lot, but his master always showed him something new.

The blue creature kneeled down near his master and lifted Ash' arm up. He put it over his shoulder before he took his master to the hideout again. He realized that May was away, seemingly back in the house.

Once he was in the house, Lucario put Ash onto the small bed that he used last night. At first he looked at Ash's leg and noticed that, it was healed, clarifying the situation for him.

Lucario put his paw on his master' forehead, checking his temperature. However, when May approached them Lucario pulled Ash' hood over his head again.

"Why?" May asked the Pokémon.

"Why what?" Lucario was puzzled, not knowing what the girl wanted from him. He still had turned his back to her, not allowing her to see his expression.

"WHY THE HELL DID HE KILLED THEM?" May almost screamed.

"Are you blind or what? Didn't you see that they attacked him?" Lucario started to yell. It was an enigma for him why the girl was here in the first place.

"B-B-But wouldn't it be enough to make …. them hors the combat?" May tried to sound angry, but she was shocked to see violence in her city.

"And then? They would have revealed our hideout if we let them live!" Lucario knew exactly what he was talking about. He still had his eyes on his master, looking for other 'aftereffects'.

"Why is it so important that nobody knows this place?" May demanded to know. For her it was her right to know the reason for all of this.

Lucario sat near Ash, not lifting his head. The aura user had to choose his next words very carefully.

"There are some things that you shouldn't know! It's for your own safety and I don't know why master Ash saved you in the first place, but you should be thankful for him!" Lucario lowered his voice, hoping that the girl would understand.

"….." May's lips quivered a bit, seemingly about to say something. The brunette ran to the living room and grabbed Eevee before she stormed out of the house, leaving both individuals behind.

The aura Pokémon shook his head, but he didn't chase her. Secretly he hoped that his master wouldn't be angry with him for letting her go.

Suddenly Lucario realized something and he could punch himself for not realizing it earlier.

_The thing on her head? Wasn't that the cloth that Ash looked for? Fuck …. _Lucario spun around but the girl was already out of eyesight.

* * *

The brunette ran without a break through the alleys of the town, holding Eevee in her arms. She couldn't understand why she had tears in her eyes, but who cares. Eevee was puzzled, but the small fox would always stay with her mother.

The sky began to darken, giving the possibility of rain again. Right at that moment May left the abdomen district and entered the 'poor district' of the town. Dawn's house had to be near here and May knew that she needed the support of her longtime friend.

_I know that Dawn will help me … She always helped me _May thought, but something shattered her hopeful mood _But ….. What about Giovanni? …. I heard that our house burnt down … however, there is still much money …. _

A tear fell onto Eevee's head and the fox looked up to May. Sobbing, the brunette didn't know what the future would have in store for her.

_He wants my dead …. What if he finds me? … And what will happen to Dawn when I told her everything … I don't want her to be in danger because of me …. _

The brunette was only two houses away from Dawn, however, she stopped in the middle of the road. Looking onto the ground. The brown fox was confused, because she remembered Dawn's house. She looked up to the brown-haired girl and saw that she cried.

"Eevee!" May hugged her small Pokémon tighter to her chest, almost squeezing it to the limit. "What should I do? I want to meet Dawn, b-b-but I don't want her to be a target like me!"

The first rain dropped down to earth, soaking Eevee's fur. That was something that the small fox didn't like at all when she nuzzled deeper into May's chest.

"For the last years I only knew Giovanni's wrath, but now I have mortal agony." The brunette didn't move an inch, refusing to leave this place.

Her tears fell down her cheeks, symbolizing her whole situation. Since her fifth birthday, her whole life became a downfall and it seemed to reach a low.

Several minutes in the rain and May heard footsteps behind her. The brunette didn't turn around, awaiting some other killer that would seek for her life.

_Maybe …. Maybe my death is the easiest way to get out of this _The last Maple almost lost all of her hope. _I'm a burden for everyone …. I disappointed my whole family …. I'm weak and a sissy … Why didn't I told mum my opinion when I could ….. _

The footsteps became louder and she knew that the person had to be behind her by now.

"You can kill me now. I won't run away anymore!" May voice cracked up, because she was still afraid. It was sure that there was another killer behind her and May couldn't stand all of this any longer.

The person behind her didn't replied, listening to her speech.

"Why do you wait?" May cried one last tear, before she decided to look the danger right in the face. Turning around, the brunette saw a familiar face and she didn't know how to react that it was Lucario that followed her.

"You? But why?" May couldn't change her mood completely, because she awaited the end.

"When you left I noticed that you have something on your head that belongs to my master." Lucario replied, pointing to the girl's 'bandana'. "However, it seems that you have much more problems than I could ever imagine."

May touched her head, feeling the cloth that she took without permission. She wanted to give it back, but again she started to break into tears.

"I-I-I know it's much to ask ….. B-b-but could I stay with you and your master until the situation has cooled down?" May knew that it was desperate to ask strangers to help her, but what could she loose anyway.

Lucario looked at that girl while the rain became stronger, turning into a downpour once again. His whole life the aura type was trained to show no kind of emotions, but he always wished that it could be otherwise.

May looked down once again, awaiting a 'no' as a response.

"I think it couldn't harm …." the aura Pokémon started, feeling some sort of pity towards the girl. "At least you should stay until master Ash wakes up! It was him who brought you to our hideout anyway." The blue creature didn't know if it was a good idea to say that.

May immediately kneeled down and hugged the aura Pokémon. Eevee who was still in her arms was almost crushed between these two individuals.

Lucario couldn't describe the feeling that he felt right now. The girl showed him her gratitude and the Pokémon had to admit that it felt good to help others. It was a miracle to him why all other assassins were so distant to 'normal' citizens.

The small Eevee crawled out of the hug, dropping to the ground.

"I'm sorry Eevee!" The brunette hugged her small fox again, still not believing that there was still some hope.

With a stern look Lucario turned around, ready to leave for his hideout. May followed him, but not without throwing one last glance towards Dawn's house. _I promise you Dawn, I will tell you everything but not now …. _

They left the 'poor' district, reentering the abdomen district of the city. The brunette didn't know if it was a good idea to ask the aura Pokémon a question.

"Do you mind if I ask something?" May aid politely, hoping to know more about the people that she would consider as her flat mates for the next few days.

Lucario shook his head, implying that she could ask.

"Where are you from?" May needed to know with what kind of people she had to deal.

"We are from the Kanto kingdom, but I'm not allowed to tell you the exact town!" At least Lucario would keep Masyaf a secret to that girl. The brunette was amazed to see someone from another kingdom, however, she had still tons of questions.

"What are you doing in this city?" May could see the plaza that she crossed shortly before when she ran off from the hideout.

"Business!" The aura Pokémon fastened his speed, hoping to avoid further questions from her.

May tried to catch up with the Pokémon, but he was already at the house, opening the door. May and especially her Eevee were relieved when they escaped the downpour. Ash still laid inside the small room, opposite the living room.

The small fox shook her whole body like a dog, getting rid of the unwanted water. May giggled at Eevee's attempt to get dry, however, her fur was still wet. Lucario went to his master, sighing in relieve when he realized that his master was only exhausted.

May approached them again, sensing her chance to get a closer look at the man.

"Could I see his face?" May slightly blushed when she heard the question coming out of her mouth. Two days ago, she looked Ash in the eyes and that caused her to have strange emotions. Now she wanted to see if these emotions were a one-time thing.

"I'm sorry, but he isn't allow to show his face to strangers!" Lucario put his hand over Ash's face, not wanting May to see his May. His hood was still pulled over his head, but due to his laying position his face was good visible.

"Oh …." May replied disappointed.

Moments later, they heard the noise of toddling feet and all of them looked to the kitchen door. A small creature with yellow fur went out of the kitchen, holding his head. It was Pikachu who was finally sober after all of this time.

However, the yellow rodent hadn't even time to look at the two guests when he was tackled to the ground by a brown-haired Pokémon.

Eevee had caught Pikachu into a bone-crushing embrace, not releasing her grip on him and this time there wasn't a big bird that could save the electro-type from her.

May looked puzzled, but she immediately recognized the yellow rodent. Three days ago, she saw the yellow Pokémon in the forest and she wanted to know where the owner was. Turning to Lucario, May threw him some question looks.

"Is that the Pikachu of your master?" May asked hopefully.

Lucario still chuckled at the misfortune of his fellow partner. "Yes, he is, but why do you ask?"

"I met Pikachu before! Do you know a large bird that had been with Pikachu in the forest in front of the town?" May asked further questions again, annoying some Pokémon.

"I think you mean Pidgeot? Yes, he is also a partner of our master, but he isn't here right now!" Lucario didn't know the reason for the curiosity of May.

Everything started to make sense for May. The reason why Eevee was so eagerly on that bench when Ash sat there!

"I think …. my Eevee has a crush on Pikachu." May looked with great interest at that interaction between these two lovebirds. However, it seemed to be a one-sided thing at the moment when Pikachu tried to get rid of the fox on top of him.

May thought it would be time to separate these two for now, pulling her fox away from the poor rodent. Her actions caused an Eevee to be very sad and a Pikachu to be very glad.

Lucario left his master alone, knowing that he needed his rest. Once he left the small bedroom, he turned to May again.

"Are you hungry?" Right on cue May's stomach growled and it was louder than ever before. The brunette didn't eat anything for about two days.

"I guess, I am!" May admitted, holding her belly and blushing in embarrassment. It was strange, because the brunette felt a feeling that she didn't feel for ages. It was secureness.

Lucario made his way into the kitchen, leaving May, Eevee and Pikachu behind. The small fox winked to the mouse who almost fainted, because his darkest nightmares had become true. If this was, a punishment for drinking alcohol Pikachu would be clean for the rest of his life.

May expected some weird things, but at the moment, it was better than being with Giovanni. The brunette looked to the closed door that led to Ash' room. Every time she thought about his name, she got a terrible headache. It was like her mind wanted to pretend her to remember some things from her past, confusing May.

* * *

Jesse ran along a long corridor that led to a large hall, also passing a lot of chandeliers. It was obvious that the girl was inside the palace, but Jesse wasn't very happy with the whole situation.

The pink-head smashed the large gate of the hall open, startling Giovanni and a mysterious stranger. Both of them sat at a round table, featuring also some drinks. In the corner of the room was a large chimney and the fire crackled. Due to the fire, the room possessed a special atmosphere.

Giovanni looked at his daughter, expecting some dissatisfaction from here. His guest had a large robe that covered most of his face, not showing his identity lightly to others.

"What's wrong, Jesse?" Giovanni asked, taking a sip from his drink. His whole expression didn't change during the scene.

"Dad, you promised me that you would find Persian, but you only sit in your chair the whole day!" Jesse exclaimed, clenching her fists in an attempt to intimidate her dad.

"Calm down Jesse!" The brown-haired man ordered. "I already sent out several men to look for her!"

"But I want her now!" Jesse yelled, showing her awful character.

"Listen Jesse! I'll buy you a new pet in the case that Persian won't come back!" Giovanni glanced at his daughter, having some strange emotion in his eyes.

"Okay, then I want a Pikachu!" Jesse demanded, stomping onto her ground.

"You know that Pikachus didn't exist in the Hoenn kingdom!" Giovanni explained to his daughter, but Jesse wouldn't be Jesse if she except that.

"I want a Pikachu! I want a Pikachu! I want a Pikachu! I want a …." This went for almost two minutes and Giovanni started to hold his ears.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Giovanni exclaimed rather harsh to his daughter, startling her in the process. The pink-haired girl started to cry and that was even worse than her pleading.

"You'll get a Pikachu, but leave me alone!" Giovanni had no other choice than granting the wish of his daughter. Like always, it worked perfectly when Jesse stopped with her 'fake' crying and left the hall.

Finally, alone, Giovanni looked back at the mysterious man with whom he had a long conversation.

"You really have a one-of-a-kind daughter Giovanni!" The hooded man laughed. His eyes reflected the light that came from the fire, but they did not show any emotion.

"Tell me about that?" Giovanni knew that Jesse could be a brat, but if she marries James, he would get some publicity too.

"Do you have any plans regarding the new threat?" The dark figure said with no form of emotion, making it difficult to know his mood.

"Threat? He isn't a threat! He is just one lonely assassin who thinks that he could confront us templar! We should stick with our plan." The male brunette suggested, ignoring the assassination that was planned on him.

"Don't make the same mistake as Butch!" The stranger warned his fellow templar 'friend'. The unknown man seemed to have more experience with the threat, called assassin.

Giovanni laughed when he was compared to that stupid 'kid'.

"Oh please, spare me!" The brunette smirked again, teasing his opposite with his sarcasm. " Butch was just a stupid, young amateur who couldn't get the job done! I was attacked too, but I'm alive!"

"You're right, but do you forget what happened to your house? It's only a ruin." The disguised man clarified the whole situation to his fellow templar.

"It's just a house! I still have a lot of money and to be honest I should thank this assassin for that!" His statement could sound confusing, but Giovanni actually thought that May died within the flames.

"I hope that you'll be right! By the way, is there any new information about this assassin castle in Kanto?" The robe-wearing man took another sip from his drink.

"They still search for that but I'm sure that this is only a rumor! Remember : Assassins were chased by everyone!" Giovanni laughed again, showing much confidence here.

"Did you get any new information from King Cyrus? I heard that he didn't make any progress regarding Lance's hidden 'treasure'." The dark-voiced stranger again mentioned the 'dead' king.

"I know it's a shame, but this bastard won't tell anything. We thought that two years of jail would break his will, but unfortunately not." Giovanni smirk turned into a frown.

"Maybe we should start to kidnap some of his precious citizens and torture them in front of him!" The stranger didn't know any pity for the population of the town.

"I like that idea." Giovanni admitted, constantly sipping from his drink. The sun already started to set, meaning that they couldn't accomplish anything today.

"I hope that we will be spared by any other incidents!" The man with the robe stood up, preparing to leave. Again, you couldn't see anything of his face.

"Don't worry about that! My men will kill your 'threat' called assassin!" Giovanni stated proudly. His face showed that he could get used to that idea to live in the castle.

The hooded man turned one last time to his fellow templar, bowing slightly towards him. He then left the hall and eventually the building. Nobody knew the name of the stranger, but the king trusted him.

For several minutes Giovanni sat there in silence, thinking about the next step to fulfill the templar' dream.

"I should really consider kidnapping a citizen and executing him or her! I think that will teach this stupid 'old' king!" Giovanni led out an evil laugh, enjoying the moment.

* * *

**That was chapter eleven of 'Life in the shadows' and I'm sure that I have something to explain now. At first some notes for you and questions that you should think about. Who is that mysterious stranger? Who will be the person who is kidnapped? How will the situation around May, Ash and Lucario develop? **

**Some notes for understanding : **

**- Ash used his aura at first to held together his bone, however, it won't last forever**

**- Ash got two hidden blades from Tracey**

**- Tracey, of course, will appear again**

**- May first thought that Lucario was her savior**

**- To heal a wound made Ash dizzy, sending him into some kind of trance**

**- Why did he use that at the workshop? Ash always does stupid things**

**- The next time Ash will use this 'Aura-heal' he will run amok (It will be ugly, trust me)**

**- The aftereffects of this 'heal' aren't well known**

**- May is against killing and violence**

**- May didn't go to Dawn, because she thought that her stepfather would still chase her **

**- May's memories of Ash aren't available for her yet**

**- Pokémon represent the feelings of their owners. Looks like May could like Ash but what about vice versa?**

**- Jesse want a Pikachu and Pikachus aren't very common in Hoenn**

**- Persian is lost or dead.**

**I'm sure that I have to explain a lot in the upcoming chapters, but be assured that I have a reason for every sentence I write! **

**Please don't flame! (Advanceshipping and Ikarishipping)**

**Next chapter at 60 reviews or in three days!**

**Please review!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Already chapter twelve of Life in the shadows. It's very difficult to explain the whole surroundings to you, because I know exactly how the city looks like, however I think you don't though. Maybe I should start to draw some things of this story and post it on my DeviantArt account. Nevertheless the story is rated M for violence, blood, murder, bad language and deaths. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon or Assassin's Creed**

**R&R!**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

The day was almost over, but a certain girl decided to stay awake and she didn't care whether Lucario approved that or not. It had stopped to rain and the brunette looked out of 'her' window, watching the aura Pokémon how he cleared away the two bodies of the guards.

The servant allowed her to stay in Ash's room as long as he was out, but after that, she would need to listen to his master.

"How are you Eevee?" The small evolution Pokémon played with some pieces of a carpet, but she immediately responded to May. A happy smile and a short 'Eve' was enough to show that she was all right.

May had agreed to tell no one about this hideout, although she didn't know the reason why. The aura 'host' was very discreet and he didn't reveal anything about the person called Ash.

Unlike the past days, May didn't feel the urge to go to bed as fast as possible, mainly because she had a very delicious dinner and her stomach was full. It surprised her that Lucario cooked so much without knowing about her 'big' appetite.

The most difficult task for her was to carry Eevee away from Pikachu without causing much damage to the equipment. The brunette also asked for some books, because she didn't know how long she would be away from school.

'Dawn' May thought back to the time when she saw her best friend the last time. 'I hope Dawn is alright, but I'm sure she won't forget me, although her catchphrase is _No need to worry. _I can just hope that she won't ask Giovanni about my whereabouts ….'

The worried look on her face alarmed Eevee to cheer her up and the easiest way to do so was to cuddle with her a bit. May, despite her concern, didn't mind though when she welcomed the fox in her arms.

"Tell me Eevee! Why do you like this Pikachu so much?" The best way not to think about her own problems was to talk about the problems of another and in that case Eevee's.

The brown fur blushed and started to explain, but with the language barrier, it was very difficult for May to follow the explanations.

"It would be nice if one of us find the right one without dying before." May giggled, although she meant it seriously.

The 'last Maple' sat on her bed, looking at the various things in her room and she started to wonder how Lucario and his master got this house. She knew that she would push the topic further and she will get her answers.

The door downstairs made a clicking noise when Lucario returned from his 'job' before closing it with big care, not wanting to disturb his master. In Lucario's opinion, it would be the best for his master to sleep the whole night without interruption.

Right after that, he heard noises from upstairs and it didn't surprise Lucario at all that the brunette walked to him.

"What's your problem? Do you need new water or what?" The aura creature initially said to May that she should stay in her room and that she shouldn't sniff around here.

"No, everything is just fine, but I think it would be nice to know each other a little better." May led Eevee upstairs; giving the fox her much needed rest.

"Don't you get it? There are reasons that I can't start some sort of sweet_ talk _with you_." _The aura user told the brunette for hours that there was no way to get more information from him.

"Okay, but maybe we can talk about random things and I should introduce myself properly at first." The brown-haired girl walked to Lucario, extending her hand. After the steel type accepted the handshake the girl continued. "I'm May Maple, Hoenn native and Petalburg citizen."

"To be honest, I already knew that, however I can only say that I'm Lucario, Kanto native and servant to my master." He looked at her with a stern look again, hoping that these introductions were everything she wanted.

"I see that you won't tell much, so I'll tell you something about me." May said with a big grin.

Lucario nodded and pointed to a table, feeling it to be right for the 'one-sided' conversation.

"Like I said I'm May and the Pokémon upstairs is Eevee. I met her three days ago in the park, but she stayed with my friend Dawn, because my stepfather would never allow a pet Pokémon despite his Persian in his house." May told Lucario who only nodded, showing that he understood so far.

"I'm an orphan and the last years were the hell for me, however I tried to be strong and live through the suppression of Giovanni. " May' eyes showed first sign of tears, but Lucario wasn't excited to see the girl crying.

"You should always consider that you aren't the only orphan on this world. Look at my master, he's an orphan too and he found his place in the world." Lucario explained without giving too much information away.

May looked up again, glancing into the eyes of the aura Pokémon. He didn't just say that to make her feel better, but also to give her some hope.

"Do you know? The first time I met your master I was on a bench with my friend Dawn and for a brief second I could look into his eyes, giving me a feeling of understanding. At first I thought it was just a stupid reaction because of my obsession with brown-eyed boys, however after you told me that he's an orphan too, I think that there's a possibility that we could be soul mates after all." May said with a calm voice.

The aura user threw a weird glance at her, because he couldn't imagine that someone could be 'closer' to his master than he is.

"It seems that you interpret too much into this little girl! I can't tell you why, but the past of my master is definitely worse than yours." The servant stated with all honesty of the world.

"It **seems** that you don't know that it's much worse for a girl to be an orphan than for a boy! At least he didn't have to find someone to marry before he could leave his house!" The brunette became slightly furious, disliking the man-over-woman politics of the kingdom.

"And again, the past of my master is worse than yours!" Lucario retained his composure.

May couldn't understand how this Pokémon could judge their different pasts without knowing them or at least hers. After that statement, the brunette realized that the aura user didn't understand her. Not wanting to start an argument, May looked through the room, noticing the big amount of weapons there.

"Why do you have so many weapons?" May changed the topic; however Lucario wasn't allowed to talk about this either.

"Just some things for our safety …" The aura Pokémon said, knowing that it wasn't unusual to have some of them.

"You can't tell me that you need throwing knifes for your safety! Tell me! Are you some kind of outlaws or so?" May knew that these two individuals weren't what they pretend to be.

"None of your business!" Lucario replied, elevating it into the top five of his most giving answers.

The brunette grunted, however she didn't accept defeat. She just had to try harder to get serious information about these two.

"Why were the guards after your master?" May asked again.

Lucario raised an eyebrow, not believing that the brunette didn't know anything about the bounty that was put onto his master some days ago. What May didn't know she shouldn't know.

"I suppose that they don't like strangers like us." The aura Pokémon was clever, because he never lied to the brunette, but at the same time he didn't disrespect the creed.

May screamed inside her head, because of the stubborn Pokémon. However she could as stubborn as he was and her next question would confuse Lucario enough to get May a slight advantage.

"So …" She started with an innocent voice. " …. Does your master have a girlfriend or wife?"

"No!" Lucario replied rather harsh to her, but it was a topic that most assassins didn't like to talk about.

"Really? You know, I heard that a man who hasn't a girlfriend until his twentieth birthday has to be gay!" May never heard that, but it was a good way to make Lucario angry like before.

"You really heard of some strange rumors, but I can tell you that our organization didn't allow any relationships as long as we are part of it."

"Why shouldn't the members of your organization be in a relationship?" May tried to ask small follow-up questions to keep her 'curiosity' a secret.

"We have to be concentrated at every minute and a girl like you would just distract my master too much!" Lucario replied with a slight smirk.

May blushed a bit, although she never said anything to Lucario about the possibility of her and his master together.

"What job could possibly be so difficult that you can't have a private life?" May's red face faded, but her curiosity grew bigger.

"It's an organization that … " May sharpened her ears, hoping to get finally the information she wanted. " … people like you shouldn't know about!" Lucario stated, noticing the face full of expectation from May.

May's head dropped onto the table, because of frustration and tiredness. It seemed that she won't get any information, at least not today and so she decided to stop this conversation.

"I think I will go to bed now, but we'll talk another time." May left the table, although she wanted to know more. To know nothing about her host was a reason for May to stay the whole night awake.

"Uh …" Before May went upstairs she remembered that she didn't have any nightclothes. "Do you have any clothes that I can wear during the night?"

Lucario looked at her with a puzzled look, because he wasn't 'her' servant.

"Can't you just sleep in your clothes or in your underwear? You can trust me that I won't peek on you and my master isn't interested in seeing you without your clothes either." The aura Pokémon scratched the back of his head, loosing hope in that girl, not that he had hope in her ever.

May blushed in embarrassment, because she knew that she was an attractive teenager and that there was no doubt that she could win every boys heart if she got the chance.

Just at this moment May realized that she now had the chance, because Giovanni wasn't here to slow her down, therefore she would show the aura Pokémon that his master was indeed interested in **her**.

The brunette entered her room or Ash' room, searching for her small fox pet. Not knowing why she was so competitive, May needed all the help she could get.

"Eevee?" May shouted quietly. The brown Pokémon immediately emerged from some pillows, following the call of her 'mother'.

"Listen Eevee! I need your help to show this Lucario that I'm indeed very attractive and the best way to do so is to seduce his master!" Eevee's ears shot up, not knowing what to think about that topic. "Don't think something wrong Eevee. I just want to show that 'the-so-called-master' is a human like everyone else. There won't be any intimate actions between us." May clarified, freeing her fox from some strange thoughts.

However, Eevee still didn't know her role in all of this when she tilted her head.

"And you Eevee!" May pointed to the evolution Pokémon. "You'll help me! And as a reward I won't stop you to get together with that Pikachu, okay?" That sounded like a plan, even for Eevee.

The fox agreed to help her mother to win this 'unofficial' bet that existed only in the head of the brunette.

"Fine!" May said, smiling at her Pokémon. Intentionally she led her door slightly open, making it easy to enter the room while she was sleeping.

Next the brunette undressed herself with the exception of her underwear, keeping her eyes locked on the door. However, there was no sign that someone was peeking on her.

'His master is still knocked out, but I'm sure that he had a reason to rescue me. Could it be that he only wants sex with me?' May thought. At that moment May had to consider every possibility and as long as she didn't know more about this man their was red alert.

The brunette laid in her bed, not knowing whether it a good idea or not to let the door open.

"Eevee? Could you please keep watch? As much as I want to show them that I'm attractive I don't want to be raped!" May told her Eevee and the fox was more than willing to save her mother.

"Thank you Eevee. Wake me up if some one enters the room!" Shortly thereafter May fell asleep, dreaming about the weirdest things.

May seemed to be slight paranoid, but somehow she was more energetic than before and the brunette would do everything that her stepfather forbade her for all these years.

However, May didn't expect to have to deal with one of the densest people on this planet. The small fox Pokémon stayed awake for the whole night, but nobody entered the room.

* * *

Ash opened his eyes when he heard some steps from the kitchen. Once, he realized that he had a 'hangover' Ash sat up in his bed, hoping that nothing bad happened when he was 'away'. At first he looked at his leg, not seeing any sign of wound anymore.

Slowly but surely he remembered the things from last day, including Tracey, his new weapons, his new bounty, the girl upstairs ….. The girl upstairs!

'Fuck! I can just hope that Lucario didn't see her!' Ash thought, removing the covers on top of him.

Once he stood up, Ash walked out of the small cabin, pretending that everything was alright. Like always he saw his trusty aura Pokémon in the kitchen. When Lucario spotted his master he was relieved, but it soon vanished and he stared at him with a stern look.

"Good to see you Lucario!" Ash said friendly, but he only wanted to forget the past events.

It wasn't like Lucario to be sneaky, but he wanted to embarrass his master.

"Good to see you, too. How was your trip yesterday?" Lucario pretended to know nothing about Ash' trance, the rescued girl or the repeated ignoring of their creed.

"Uh …. I went through the streets, seeking for a shop, however I saw that my bounty was raised after the events at Giovanni's house." Ash explained coherently, not outlasting any important fact. "After that I heard cries for help and I looked for the man and when I found him he was surrounded by numerous guards who accused him to help the old assassin guild of the town. I saved him from those guards before I learned that he was indeed connected with the assassins! He was the one who gave me the second blade!" Ash showed Lucario the new hidden blade under his left forearm.

"Interesting, but what happened after that?" The aura Pokémon knew that Ash' healed his wound with his aura, but he wanted to hear it from him.

"You know that I had this wound on my leg." Lucario nodded. "It became worse and so I had to treat it with some aura. I assume that I became slightly dizzy after I used it. I don't know what happened next, but I most likely walked home and went to bed."

It wasn't wrong that Ash went home, but before he 'went' to bed, something happened. His servant smirked and the assassin knew that Lucario knew it better, again.

"You know master? How often did I tell you that you shouldn't use that technique without my presence?" The dog-like Pokémon crossed his arms, acting more like a mentor than a servant this time.

Ash gulped. "I think so ten times, but you know that I'm good at it and nothing bad happened anyway!" The black-haired killer stated once more.

"You think that nothing bad happened?" Ash nodded in response. "A shame that you don't remember when you were attacked by two templar guards right in front of our hideout!"

"Really? Uh … I don't see any new wound, so I assume that you saved me?" Ash examined his body, but he only found the cut on his chest and the two other wounds.

"I didn't save you." Lucario shook his head. "You did it yourself, however I don't know how you could act that fast without your mind …"

"Uh … I fought while I was dizzy?" Ash couldn't imagine the scene that he had to be in.

"Yes, I saw it, but someone else, too." Lucario added. The Kanto native was confused to hear that, however, he explained it to himself that the additional onlooker was either Pikachu or Pidgeot.

"I don't think that it's so bad that Pikachu and Pidgeot saw it, too." Ash replied, not seeing any complications.

"And what would you say when I tell you that some girl that was hidden in your room saw it too?" Lucario started to smirk.

"Uh … I would say that you are crazy." Ash hoped that this was just a coincidence that Lucario came up with that.

"Then some girl in your room saw it, too!" Lucario repeated.

"You're crazy." Ash stated, trying to save his honor. However, the assassin' lie was exposed, leaving Ash with a lot of sweat on his face.

"Give it up, master! I found 'your' little girl last day. Why did you lie to me?" Lucario demanded an answer from his 'master', not accepting a cheap excuse this time.

Ash sighed in defeat, because the secret wasn't a secret anymore.

"Okay, I will tell you everything that happened two days ago at Giovanni's house." Ash put both of his arms on the table, lowering his head. "Just after you started your chase for Giovanni I walked up the stairs, but I wasn't alone. The woman that we saw entering the house before us was a 'bounty hunter' and she started to attack me, knowing that she could get a lot of money for me. It was a difficult fight for me and she almost killed me when she stabbed my chest with her knife, however, I was able to counter her next attacks until she pulled out one of those guns. She then told me that Giovanni hired her to kill his daughter so he could keep his wealth and at first, I didn't understand anything of this. Thanks to that stupid Persian I was able to push this woman out of the window and I was about to leave that house, knowing that the girl wouldn't survive anyway. I don't know why I decided to rescue her, maybe because of the fact that her father treated her like a piece of shit or the feeling that she wasn't part of the templar. Nevertheless, I carried her out of the house alongside her Eevee and after that; I wanted to leave without any further incidents. Then she started to mumble something in her unconscious state. At first, she called for her parents, then for some girl called Dawn but in the end, she called for …. "Ash gulped a bit again. "…. me. I couldn't leave her there, although I knew that I broke several aspects of our creed. That's the reason that I hid her from you, but it seems that I wasn't very successful at it though."

Lucario listened with much care, not intending to miss anything of that story. Everything made sense after that speech, but the aura using Pokémon had some more.

"You really broke a lot of rules within a few days, master." Lucario stated with a stern voice. "But can you tell me what did you want to do with that girl?"

"I just wanted her to rest for a night and after that I wanted her to leave. Talking about her, where's she?" Ash looked around, hoping that the brunette wasn't anywhere near the conversation.

"The girl? She is still upstairs. I suppose that she's still asleep." Lucario stated, pointing to the stairs.

"You say that you met her, but why is she still at our hideout? I thought that she would leave as soon as she would get the possibility." The assassin expected from May that she would love to return to one of her friends.

"After she saw you how you killed those two guards she indeed ran away, however, I realized that she wore the cloth you were looking for on her head. Once I caught up with her, she stood in front of her house, seemingly one of her friends. She mumbled something that she wanted to die. I reminded her that she took your cloth with her when she pleaded me to take her with to our hideout."

"And you agreed?!" Ash interrupted his aura partner. Lucario was the last Pokémon he expected to do something like that.

"It wasn't my decision, master!" The blue Pokémon defended himself. "I didn't know what do you want and so I said yes to her as long as you are knocked out."

"Great!" Ash replied with all the sarcasm in the world. "In my opinion she should leave as soon as possible, because we aren't responsible for her anyway. You didn't tell her anything about our organization and why we are here?"

"I would never …" Lucario responded quickly.

"Okay, but as soon as she is awake I will tell her that she should leave!" Ash said the things straight and Lucario understood. "Where is Pikachu?"

"The little alcoholic? I assume that he's on top of the house with Pidgeot and I think that he was there the whole night." Lucario explained and Ash raised an eyebrow.

"Why should he be up there for the whole night?"

"You know that small fox called Eevee? It seems that she likes the yellow rodent pretty much, however, Pikachu didn't return the feelings and so he looked for another hideout."

Ash chuckled a bit, but he wasn't surprised that the fox that he encountered several times had a small crush on his partner.

"I think we should have breakfast at first and after that we decide what to do next!" With that, Ash motioned to Lucario to do his job.

* * *

The first sun beams didn't reached the brunette, because May pulled the covers over her head. Seemingly feeling very comfortable there, May acted more and more like a typical teenager.

Her Eevee kept watch for several hours, but after a longer period where nothing happened the small fox fell asleep herself. Two hours before midday, May forced herself to creep out of the covers. Still in her underwear, May looked to the sleeping fox.

"Wake up you little sleep hat!" The brunette shook her pet several times before it opened her eyes. A loud yawn signaled that she could sleep for another few hours at least.

"Didn't I tell you that you should keep watch? What do you think would happen when somebody enters the room and we both are asleep?"

The fox just scratched her ear with her food, ignoring the question. May sighed, but at least nothing happened and that meant that she would need to try harder to show this Lucario who isn't attractive enough for his master.

With renewed optimism, she dressed up again, using the clothes from yesterday. At first the white blouse, then the blue skirt and not to forget the white bandana.

"Come on Eevee! I'm sure that you can't wait to see Pikachu again." May was right with that and the fox immediately jumped off the bed, racing to the door.

May giggled at the antics of her best Pokémon friend and she walked down the stairs, not showing any fear of meeting the stranger.

At the bottom of the stairs, she spotted the familiar hooded man who was sitting at the table, drinking and eating something. It was time to show someone who is a really eye catcher.

May coughed slightly, seeking for attention.

Ash looked up and saw the brunette. Any other boy would start to drool over the girl, but not Ash. Once he saw her wearing the extremely short skirt and the tight blouse, he just smirked before directing his gaze back to the table.

May raised an eyebrow when she saw Lucario in the kitchen and the Pokémon had an evil grin on his face, annoying May.

Her first attempt failed big time, but May had a lot of tricks in her repertoire and she would use every one of them.

The brunette approached the table, grabbing a chair. When she sat down, she crossed her legs, knowing that boys always loved to see that. However, there was no reaction from the hooded man. The brunette thought that a conversation would be good to catch the attention of him.

"So …" She started slowly. ".. Lucario said that you rescued me back at my house and I want to thank you!"

May stood up once again and approached the disguised figure before she hugged him, making sure that he made much contact with her skin. For her surprise, the boy didn't seem to mind though and his heartbeat was normal.

A snickering Lucario made May more and more frustrated, distracting her a bit. The small fox Eevee suffered when she saw the failed attempts of the brown-haired girl.

The next attempt saw May approaching the face of Ash; however, a hand stopped her to see more of his face. Ash waved with his index finger, knowing what the brunette was about to do.

"You aren't here for your entertainment!" Ash said, not looking at May. "You can eat breakfast with us, but after that you are allowed to leave our hideout. You are lucky that we let you go without taking further measures."

May was shocked by that apathy in his voice, however, it sounded very experienced at the same time.

"One moment, please!" May demanded some seconds to thin about the next thing. "You can't kick me out of this hideout!"

Ash raised an eyebrow, although it wasn't noticeable for others. He stopped eating; preparing for another senseless argument that he would win anyway. Nobody was as stubborn as he was.

"Why shouldn't I? Just because I saved you didn't mean that I have to care for you!" Ash stated with the same calm voice that he always used against 'strangers'.

"Fact? You should think before you start to rescue random people from a fire!" May stated, stomping onto the ground. There was no way that she would back down.

"Does that mean that I shouldn't save you? I can put you into a house and burn it down if you want." Ash said with a sarcastic voice.

"Are you stupid? How could you just let someone burn in a house!" She yelled at him.

"Whoa … Calm down kid! At first you tell me that I shouldn't rescue girls and then you yell at me for telling you that I would have no problem to let girls where they are, even it is in a burning house."

"Kid? I'm a fully developed woman for you!" May grew red with anger, because she never met someone like him before.

"A woman?" Ash joked. "Maybe physical …."

"What does that suppose to mean?" The brunette approached Ash again, ready to take him down if she had to.

"You act like a small child my lady!" Ash chuckled at this and even Lucario couldn't suppress his laughter, although he was in the kitchen the whole time.

May had enough when she tried to slap the hood off the man, however, you couldn't slap a man like Ash that easily who just grabbed her hand in midair.

"That's not very ladylike!" Ash said and Lucario already rolled onto the floor, not able to take any more of this.

"What do you know about ladies? You don't have even a girlfriend, although you are older than me!" May stated, withdrawing her hand from him.

"How are you supposed to know whether I have a girlfriend or not?" Ash asked with slight concern in his voice and Lucario gulped a bit.

"You little servant there told me something about you!" May pointed to Lucario. "I also know that your real name is Ash and that you are from Kanto."

"Is that everything you know about me?" Ash knew that this girl knew his name and so he didn't accuse Lucario that he told her that.

"Uh …. Yes …" May was slightly puzzled that the man wasn't very angry that she knew such things about him.

"Oh then …." The assassin thought that the girl would know more about him after she called out his name during her rescue.

"Then what?" May asked with a still angered voice.

"Nothing … its nothing … Just eat and then you can leave. I'm sure that you have some other relatives that can take care of you!" Ash pushed some of those food utensils to the side of the brunette, however, the eyes of her started to water up.

"But … B-b-b-but I don't have any other relative …. I j-j-just don't know where to go …" May started to snob heavily, although she had claimed that she was an adult already.

"Stop with that sobbing!" Ash demanded. "I thought you told me that you are a fully developed woman, but you cry like a child! Your tears won't make anything better! Can't you just go to one of your friends?"

"I would, but … I'm too afraid that Giovanni is still chasing me and I don't want to jeopardize my friends …" The brunette's tears became less and she tried to be serious again.

Ash scratched his head under his hood, revealing some of his black hair.

"Damn it! Okay, you can stay with us, but don't dare to hinder our jobs! I'll take care of Giovanni and after that he won't chase you anymore." Ash said, not revealing the fact that he would kill the stepfather of the girl in front of him.

May smiled again, not knowing how to react to that. She tried to hug the boy again, but Ash stopped her from doing so.

"Just …. Stay … away! You'll get food and water, but we are not responsible for your entertainment though." Ash pushed the brunette slightly away.

"But I could help you!" May explained, not wanting to be excluded from the whole thing.

"How could you help us? You aren't allowed to know anything about us and so you won't be much of a help for us either." Ash stated, but his Lucario interrupted him.

"But master, she could buy the Pokémon food and other things for us. You know that they won't sell anything to a Pokémon, although I'm able to speak." The aura trained Pokémon suggested to his master and indeed Ash started to take this into account.

"It would be good if we have someone who could make the shopping …" May eyes sparkled at the word shopping. "However, you will just buy the things we want you to buy!"

"Okay, that's no problem, but why can't you do the shopping?" May asked puzzled, not knowing why they only considered Lucario as the other option.

"Uh … oh well … I have been banned from various shops, because …. Uh …"

"… he broke several indoor facilities!" Lucario finished the 'excuse' for his master.

"Oh I see. I assume that you are a really clumsy creature then." May giggled at the mistakes of Ash. "Although I would feel better if your servant is able to help me. I don't want to run into some man of my stepfather."

Lucario didn't like the idea, but Ash nodded. He whispered very quietly to his Pokémon that only he had a bounty and that Lucario could walk through the streets without any problems.

"Okay! I'll look for Pidgeot and you can eat breakfast." The assassin left the table, however, he took some fruits with him. If that what Lucario said was right Pikachu wouldn't come down from the roof for quiet some time.

May and the aura type were left alone in the house. The blue Pokémon smirked at the brunette who responded with an outstretched tongue.

"I told you that my master won't fall for your pathetic attempts!" Lucario stated in triumph.

"Do you really think that was everything I got? You'll see that he can't get enough from me." May put her hands on her hips, sending Lucario a determined look.

The unofficial bet was sealed with a staredown between these two.

* * *

Dawn just returned from school when she met her mother who was just trying to harvest some fruits from the field.

"Hi mom!" Dawn gave her mother Johanna a quick hug. "Do you have any new information about May?"

It was just yesterday that Dawn learned from the fire at the Maple residence. At first, she broke down in tears, not believing that her best friend was gone. In addition, the small fox Eevee wasn't anywhere too.

"I'm sorry, honey. I tried to contact Giovanni, but he hasn't responded to my letters so far. I'm really sorry Dawn."

The blunette lowered her head. Her father, Chris Berlitz, interrupted the thoughts of her. The tall man left the house, approaching his wife and daughter.

"What's wrong, my love?" Johanna asked with concern in her voice, because her situation was everything but fine at the moment.

"We don't harvest enough to pay the royal taxes. These damn Spearows ate half of our crop and I don't know how the king will react." Chris sighed, putting an arm around his wife.

"I'm sure he will understand if we explain the situation." Johanna tried to cheer her husband up; however, the collectors were already on their way to their house. Like always, they were to third and all of them had a sword.

Soon, the three men and a carriage that was pulled by a single Rapidash stood in front of them.

"Your royal taxes are due." One of the collectors seemed to be very old; however, he could still stand on his own.

"We're really sorry sir. We can't pay this week …" Mr. Berlitz was soon interrupted.

"Think about your next words! Don't you know what happens when you aren't able to pay your weekly taxes?" One collector jumped off the carriage, approaching the storeroom of the Berlitz family.

"Please understand, all the Spearows ate ….." And again, he was interrupted.

"Save your lame excuses for someone who is stupid enough to believe them! I hope that you lied and that my partner finds the things in your storeroom or else…"

The other man left the storeroom, shaking his head. "He was right. There isn't enough to pay the taxes!"

Chris started to sweat heavily, not knowing what would happen next. Within a few seconds, the three men started to arrest the farmer. His family could only watch in horror when their beloved one was carried away without any explanation.

"Dad/Chris!" Dawn and Johanna called for their husband/father, but they didn't receive a respond. Both just slipped down to her knees, feeling so helpless at the moment.

* * *

King Cyrus walked through his throne room, thinking about various ways to get what he wanted. The door opened and revealed the templar Giovanni who seemed to have an idea for the king.

"King Cyrus! Do you get any information from Lance?" Giovanni asked, however, he looked around to assure himself that they were really alone.

"NO!" Cyrus explained harsh and turned to Giovanni. "He's just a stupid man who thinks that the old rules still matter, but he's wrong! This bastard won't tell us where the treasure is, although we used every torture device that we possess."

"I see my king, but would he also be so brave when we torture someone else? Or even execute someone who isn't even guilty?" The brown-haired man clenched his fists, showing that he meant this serious.

"And what is with the court of justice?" King Cyrus hated this court like an insect, but he couldn't disband it without hurting the human rights of the citizens.

"Do you really think they could do anything against you? And besides, we could just blame someone for a crime!" Giovanni was determined to help the king to get through the thick head of Lance. Since the assassination attempt of him, he knew that they couldn't waste any minute.

"Okay, but how do we decide who will be the guilty? …" At the same time when Cyrus finished his sentence, someone of his collectors walked into the throne room.

"King Cyrus, I want to tell you that some farmer couldn't pay the royal taxes!" He stated with a cold voice.

"And what did you do?" Cyrus replied with a slight grin on his face.

"We arrested him immediately and we'll put him into jail for one month!" He stated proudly, saluting his king.

"I think I have a better treatment for him! Tell everyone that this farmer will be executed!" Cyrus elevated his arms, stating another event.

"My king, he just couldn't pay the taxes …." The collector gulped at his cold-hearted king who seemed to be very frustrated as of late.

"Do you want to be inconsistent with your king?" King Cyrus looked at the 'little' man, demanding that no one refuses his orders.

"Alright my lord! I will tell everyone …" The small collector was about to leave the hall, but the king had something to add.

"Tell everyone that this man will be executed in public on the big castle courtyard tomorrow afternoon."

"Okay my king!" With these words, the collector left the hall, passing several guards.

The smile on the face of King Cyrus returned, however, it looked very evil. He returned to his throne, resting his arm on the edge of it. In front of him was still his follower Giovanni who seemed to be satisfied with it.

"Can you tell me why do you want this execution in public? And why do you held it onto your own ground? Are you not afraid that someone could aspire for your life?" Giovanni couldn't understand some of the king's decisions, although half of them were his own.

"I hope that someone special appears during the whole event."

"Who do you mean?" Giovanni couldn't follow Cyrus' evil plot, however, the king had enough patience for this templar, explaining everything to him.

"Everyone in this city will learn from this event and I hope that a special assassin will, too." Cyrus smirked. "I'm sure that he knows something about us, including me and he won't let this opportunity slip away from him!"

"But Cyrus, why do you want to put yourself in such a danger?" Giovanni knew that assassin found out that Cyrus was part of the templar, too, but there was no reason to do such crazy things because of him.

"I'm not that stupid, Giovanni! I already plotted everything out and we'll catch this stupid idiot!" Cyrus stood up, walking away from his throne.

"Where are you going?" Giovanni asked.

"Someone called Lance should know about this, too. Aren't you the same opinion?" Cyrus smirked again, passing several guards that watched the dungeon of the castle.

* * *

May and Lucario had an argument again and the aura Pokémon seemed to win this time.

"Don't you get it? We have everything we need; therefore we don't need to go shopping!" The blue Pokémon explained to the brunette. Indeed their pantry was full and they had enough Pokémon food for the next few days.

"But I need to see something else than this house! I'm sure that we will find something that we need." May countered. The brunette couldn't stand this small house and she needed some contact to other citizens from time to time.

"Why should we put ourselves in danger? You said that your stepfather could still search for you and you want to go into the town?" Lucario explained.

"I know and that's the reason you'll come with me! Nobody will touch one hair of me as long as I'm with a Pokémon like you." The brunette crossed her arms, insisting that the aura user would accompany her to her trip through the streets of Petalburg.

"Why can't you just shut your mouth?" Lucario stated rather harsh to the teenager.

"You'll come with me!" May exclaimed, leaving Lucario snickering.

"Or what?" Lucario asked, although he should expect the brunette's next action.

"Or I'll tell everyone in this town about your hideout!" May again smiled; however, she knew that this was a sneaky way.

"You wouldn't dare …" The aura user, pointed with his paw to that girl that could just reveal their location with ease.

"Wouldn't I?" May responded sarcastically. The winner of the argument was May and Lucario couldn't do anything. He wasn't allowed to kill her; therefore, he had to follow her through the town.

"Okay, but within two hours we're back!" Lucario had a condition for the brunette, not wanting her to pill him through every shop.

May held her hand in front of her, awaiting something from Lucario.

"What?" The aura user stared at her empty palm.

"You can't demand from me that I go shopping without any money! I couldn't buy anything for years, but I'm sure that you have something for a cute girl like me." May winked at him.

The aura Pokémon grumbled, walking to the back where they had all of their money. It was quiet a lot; however, Lucario had a bad conscience that he took something of it without asking his master for permission.

The fighting type gave May the money and the brunette looked at him with big eyes. She had just received five hundred Poké from him, more money than she ever held in her hands.

It took May some time to stop drooling over the money, but they left the hideout eventually. Ash was somewhere else, looking for some shortcuts.

May jumped happily through the alleys, eagerly awaiting the shops that were in front of her. Since the fire, her whole attitude had changed and Lucario couldn't say that it was much better, at least not for him.

The aura Pokémon always searched for guards that could follow them, but luckily, most of them seemed to be interested in some other stuff. Sighing, Lucario followed the person who treated him like a real servant. Just now Lucario learned that his master was an 'angel' compared to that girl.

May suddenly stopped at some wall, leaving Lucario wonder what could caught the attention of the brunette. The aura using Pokémon approached the girl, looking around her shoulder. The first reaction of Lucario was one of a shocked Pokémon.

On that wall was a familiar poster about someone who Lucario knew too well and the brunette stared at the description of him.

"Assassin of Petalburg city! Wanted for murder on Butch and attempted murder on Giovanni! Dead or Alive! 30.000 Poké reward!" May read aloud …..

* * *

**This is the end of chapter twelve of that story. Nothing interesting happened, but you can imagine that the next chapters will include some scenes with a lot of trouble and desperation. And please don't ask me why Dawn has a father in this story. **

**Some things for understanding: **

**- May was embarrassed when Lucario told her that Ash wouldn't be interested in her**

**- May tries to seduce Ash to win an imaginary bet against Lucario**

**- I said to you that Ash and May wouldn't come along at first**

**- I know that May and Ash are OC's, because this is a story in the middle ages, however, they kept their personalities**

**- Do you know any new ways in which May could seduce Ash? (Review)**

**- Ash didn't show his face to May so far**

**- Dawn and her family will play a bigger role in the upcoming chapters**

**- Where's Paul? At the moment, I realized 15% of my story**

**- Pikachu is afraid of Eevee? Hell yeah!**

**- Are the interactions between Lucario and May funny or annoying? oO**

**- What will happen when May saw that wanted poster?**

**- What does Cyrus plan for the upcoming execution?**

**- Will Dawn's father survive?**

**- I don't know why I named him Chris … **

**- Lucario overlooked Ash' mistakes so far**

**Next chapter will be up in three days or when I get ten reviews for this chapter!**

**Please don't flame (Advanceshipping and minor Ikarishipping)**

**Please review!**


	13. Chapter 13

**After chapter twelve comes chapter thirteen and I hope that it is better than the last one. Maybe you can write me what you expect from that story (Violence, romance, adventure, twists). The story has already 90,000+ words and I would have enough ideas to make it 1,000,000 words, however, I would rather write some sequels instead of that. This story is rated M for violence, blood, murder, deaths and bad language. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or Assassin's Creed**

**R&R!**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Time seemed to have stopped when May read the last words of that poster, making everything around her less important than it already was. The aura Pokémon read the poster several times himself, noticing the increased bounty that was put on his master.

However, the aura Pokémon couldn't predict how the brunette would react, although he knew that the girl was against violence. On the other hand, she hated Giovanni, but he didn't know if she wished for his death.

"Let's go to the shops!" The aura user tried to push the brown-haired girl away from that wanted poster, putting her out of her trance.

For his surprise, the brunette wouldn't move an inch, but instead pushed the blue Pokémon away. Her eyes radiated some unfamiliar hate towards Lucario.

"GO AWAY! YOU'RE JUST A KILLER AND YOUR MASTER IS THE WORST OF YOU ALL! HOW CAN YOU DARE TO KILL PEOPLE WITHOUT ANY CONSCIENCE!"

With these last words, the brunette dashed away, leaving the unsure Lucario behind. When the aura user remembered those words of her, he could just shake his head. It wasn't a secret that outsiders wouldn't understand the creed of their assassin organization.

'Wow … already 30,000 …. I don't dare to imagine how high it would raise if we kill someone close to Cyrus … ' The aura Pokémon didn't think much about the fleeing brunette, instead he kept thinking about the whole situation.

'I should tell master Ash about that, although I doubt that he will care very much for her …' The servant decided not to chase the girl and instead return to his hideout.

* * *

Without thinking, the brown-haired teenager went through the alleys, not wasting one second to look if she was followed. At the moment, she just wanted away from these 'monsters'. How could she even believe that these two could offer her safety?

'How could I be so stupid? …. I should have seen it coming though …. He killed these guards without hesitation … Every time I think I got lucky … it becomes worse instead …' May entered the market square of the town, but most of the people weren't gathered around a shop.

In the middle of the large plaza was a man on a wooden platform. He wore some kind of garment and an elongate hat, seemingly very expensive for May's standards.

Not seeing such events very often, May approached the crowd. In an instant, she forgot all of her problems when she realized that it was indeed a harbinger who was there and the brunette knew that these people were always messenger of bad news.

She wasn't able to come very close to him though, therefore she had to listen carefully what he had to announce.

"Listen, people of Petalburg! For too long there was too much crime within our city, straining our wonderful economy and society!"

The man received cheers when he said that what everybody was thinking, however, the harbinger was paid by king Cyrus. Therefore, he wouldn't talk about the problems with taxes and unscrupulousness of the king that bothered every single citizen.

"Recently the city is under threat and the reason for that is a single man! This cold-blood murderer already killed several guards and even our beloved merchant Butch."

At the name of Butch, he received some boos from the crowd, implying that most of them were happy that this egoistical person was gone for good.

"This heartless creature kills without any conscience, taking the lives of your beloved ones without hesitation. Who could be next? Maybe it's your little daughter down there or probably your husband, who knows?"

May was surprised that some parts of his speech reflected her words that she told Lucario short ago, however, it sounded so different from this man.

"He won't stop to terrorize our town until he killed everyone who seemed unworthy for 'his' future world, including every single one of you. We can't ignore his uncivilized actions anymore and we need to show this bastard that we are determined to kill him at any cost!"

The crowd seemed to be the same opinion as the harbinger, but some of the man and woman became impatient with the endless speech. The brunette among them couldn't think where this could lead to, so she kept listening to the whole scenario.

"This is the reason that King Cyrus will reintroduce an old tradition that was banished two years ago, however, our king has enough reasons to resurrect it without the approval of our 'beloved' court."

Everybody got curios when they heard about that reinvention, although it couldn't be any good when it comes from non other than King Cyrus.

"Everybody of you is welcome to our palace square to witness the first public execution in almost three years!"

There were mixed reactions within the crowd. Nobles and aristocrats were amused that they had an 'event' that they could attend while the third class looked at this scenario with disgust, knowing that it wouldn't change anything.

May Maple couldn't believe what she heard, therefore she asked several other onlookers to repeat that for her. Every time she got the same answer and the brunette was shocked, because she was so happy when the court banished executions two years ago.

In her opinion, no human should kill another human as long as you can settle it otherwise. For the brunette didn't exist a 'good' reason to kill someone so far.

However, there was still the question which poor guy was chosen to be the first victim of this 'reinvented' event. The answer would come all along with the next part of the speech.

"It will occur this evening, using the sunset as a sign of the end of the terror! Don't miss this spectacle when Chris Berlitz, a sneaky farmer who didn't want to pay the royal taxes, gets the treatment he deserves!"

The speech was over and some farmers started to throw eggs and tomatoes at the harbinger, disrespecting this 'new treatment' for citizens that can't pay the taxes. The crowd vanished, leaving only one little girl behind.

May just stood there without any reaction and she didn't dare to think how Dawn had to fell right now. In less than a half day, the father of her best friend would be killed for 'nothing' in her opinion. She had to comfort her friend, however, what could she really do for her?

It wasn't time for lame cheer ups and May ran to the next guard trying to convince them that Chris couldn't be guilty and that there was no reason to execute him. However, the reactions of the guards were almost the same and some of them even threatened her to arrest her as well when she didn't shut up.

Frustrated, the brunette ran to the palace, hoping to convince some one of them. It took some time to get there, but for her disappointment, she couldn't enter the plaza. Some guards in front of there shooed her away, claiming that nobody was allowed to enter as long as the execution hadn't started.

Running out of possibilities, May tried to catch her breath before she realized that she forgot someone at a place where she didn't want to go again.

'No …. Eevee is still with these killers …' The brunette started to panic, not believing what could happen to her fox pet. She had to get her, although she had to go there as well.

* * *

Ash had recently returned from his small trip, entering his hideout. With Pikachu and Pidgeot still on the roof, he was left alone with the small brown fox.

The evolution Pokémon searched the whole house for her mother, not assuming that she would go somewhere without her.

The assassin opened the door, stomping into the room. Nowhere was a sign of that girl or Lucario, leaving Ash with the conclusion that they where 'shopping'. When he saw the excited Eevee, he couldn't do something else, but shaking his head. How could someone be so dependent on others?

"Hey you!" He exclaimed coldly, catching the fox' attention immediately.

"If you search for your brown-haired owner, I'm sure she went out with Lucario to buy some utensils." The brown-eyed man fell onto a chair, relaxing his legs again. He couldn't deny that some days off could be so effective for all of his wounds.

The Pikachu-loving-Pokémon looked at her 'host' with a tilted head, not knowing if she believed him. Therefore, the fox decided to wait a little bit longer before she would eventually look for her 'mother'.

Ash just played with the mechanism of his hidden blades, looking for any sign of wear and tear. Interrupted by an opening door, the hooded man awaited the two strays back and even Eevee jumped to her feet, readying herself to welcome her mother again.

However, between the doorframe appeared just Lucario with nothing in his paws, destroying the idea of his master that they were shopping. The ears of the small fox Pokémon fell back onto her head, looking very disappointed.

"I wondered where you have been, Lucario." Ash led his hidden blades snap back into their area under his forearm.

"Sorry, master, but something unexpected happened." The aura Pokémon said with a stern voice, although his face didn't show any sign of uneasiness.

"What?" The assassin just responded emotionless.

"At first the girl and I argued before she dragged me to a shopping trip, however, on our way she spotted a wanted poster of you." Lucario explained and Ash looked to his aura Pokémon, burning to know the rest. It interested him how someone like her would react to that anyway.

"She stared at that picture before she called us cold-hearted killers without conscience and after that she just ran away. I doubt that she will come back to us." The steel type closed the door.

"I think you're wrong, because she has a reason to come back at least one more time." Ash added, pointing to the small other guest of them.

The Riolu-evolution saw the brown fur Pokémon in the corner of their room, understanding the fact that master Ash told him.

"Did you get any new information on your short trip?" Ash asked curiously, expecting some news from the eager Pokémon.

"I know it's a shame, but I don't have anything that could interest you." The blue Pokémon felt ashamed that he disappointed his master.

The master-assassin put his boots on the table, leaning backwards in his chair. Their next step should be properly planned than the last one; otherwise, they could die easily this time.

Then they heard someone knocking on the door and Ash or Lucario didn't have to use their aura to know who it was. Ash motioned to Lucario to open the door, inviting the person that would just catch her Eevee before she would ran away again.

Once he opened the door, Lucario spotted the girl that called him a killer shortly ago, however, something different seemed to be on the brunette's mind.

The small fox Pokémon didn't waste a second to return to the warm arms of her owner. Ash expected her to leave in an instant and indeed the brown-haired girl turned around, however, she didn't move an inch afterwards.

Surprising everyone, May went into the house and approached Ash. It was very mysterious that the brunette didn't say a word since she arrived here and the assassin crossed his arms.

In an unexpected twist of events, May tripped the leg of the chair Ash was sitting on, sending him crashing to the floor. Before he knew what was going on, May was on top of Ash and lifted her hand before she slapped him right across the face. Mysteriously his hood stayed on his head, not showing his red cheek.

It didn't end there when the brunette started to slap Ash with her right hand and punch him with her left hand repeatedly.

"It's all your fault …" She shouted and just now Ash could see that the girl suppressed her tears the whole time. Between the slap noises, Ash could also hear the sobbing of the orphan.

"Everyone will suffer, because of you!" The brunette didn't stop with her slap and punch combination, hitting the assassin as if there was no tomorrow.

Lucario noticed that his master didn't make any efforts to stop her. It was strange that his 'arrogant' master let himself beat down by a girl like this.

"My best friend will lose her father just like me and it's only happening because you have to pick a fight with the king!" The first tears fell onto the covered face of Ash who listened to the brunette' outburst.

Lucario lost count how many times May hit his master, although you couldn't miss one punch from her. Even Eevee couldn't understand the actions of her beloved human, witnessing the whole scenario with an unsure look.

Just when you thought it wouldn't end, the punches became less and weaker with the second. The brown-haired girl invested her whole strength into this attack that her stamina came to an end, panting heavily after this.

Just when things couldn't get more weird, the girl buried her face in Ash' chest, sobbing like crazy. The three onlookers were puzzled at the actions of the 'aggressive' girl who just used violence despite her anti-violence attitude.

"Please …" May said between tears, catching the attention of everyone again.

"Please help him …" It was very difficult for the brunette to talk between all of her sobbing, making it only possible to say fragments of her wish.

When Ash didn't respond, May started to punch him onto his chest desperately. Ignoring the pain that the girl caused on his wound, Ash looked up, seeing the face full of desperation of her.

"You have to help him ….. You just have to …" Her tears started to soak Ash' cloak.

Lucario and Eevee, the two Pokémon in that room, didn't know how to act when they saw the interaction between these two.

Ash then stood up, dropping the brunette off him. May landed back first at the wall and she pulled her legs to her chest, resting her arms on her knees. Her sobbing didn't become less, worrying her Eevee.

The assassin walked to a cupboard, taking a small cloth out of it. He then threw it to the brunette and it landed on her shoes, however, May just pushed it away.

"You should wipe your tears away before you speak with someone!" Ash almost whispered, smacking his lips to see if he bleeds there.

The small fox approached her 'mother', resting one of her paws on her legs in attempt to comfort her. It seemed to be an eternity until the brunette lifted her head again. Her eyes were red after all of this crying and she still sniffed from time to time.

"Everything alright?" Ash could have saved this questions, because it was obvious that nothing seemed to be all right.

"No …" May replied weakly. "Nothing's alright and you're the reason …" She accused the multiple time murderer.

"Then share your information with us!" Ash said before he spat some blood into a bucket.

"Don't pretend as if you know nothing about the upcoming execution!" May said a bit louder, but still quieter than her normal voice.

"I don't have to pretend, because I know nothing about that." Ash replied with a stern voice, defending himself from all those accuses that she had told him.

May looked to him, again seeing the brown eyes of him. There was no way that he was lying, although he was a killer for her. Once she wiped her tears away, the brunette lifted her head completely up, showing a determined look.

"Will you help him? …" She said in an almost demanding tone.

"Who is he? I don't do anything that I don't have a clue about!" Ash said in a similar demanding voice, starting a small argument with her.

"You heartless bastard! The father of my best friend will be executed; because the king wants to show every criminal in this town that he isn't afraid to kill you! Her father isn't even guilty …." Her voice trailed off at the end of her statement.

The assassin looked to his Lucario, wanting to know if Lucario knew about that. However, the aura user just shook his head.

The brunette than jumped to her feet again, grabbing Ash by his collar. Again, Ash didn't defend himself against the devastated girl in front of him.

"You have to help him!" She yelled at him. "Otherwise Dawn will lose her father this evening …. I would never forgive you if he dies …"

"I can't." Ash replied calmly, almost ticking the brunette of with the apathy in his voice.

"What does this mean you CAN'T?" May shouted at him. "It's your FAULT …. You can't let other people suffer, because of your ego …"

Ash didn't respond to that, keeping the same face all the time. The small fox got startled by the actions of her lovely owner.

"Why …. Why … why are you making everyone's life so miserable? … "The brunette started to sob again, losing the last bit of hope that she had.

Again, no respond from the trained-killer.

"If you don't stop them, they will continue to execute everyone without a reason …. " The brunette added, trying to control her sobbing. "WHY CAN'T YOU JUST DO THE RIGHT THING FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE!" She shouted with all of her might, shocking only Eevee with that.

Ash lowered his head before he said. "I can't!"

May tried to push Ash away, however, she didn't have any power for that anymore. Desperately, May ran out of the house again, still sobbing and crying. Her pet Eevee followed her without hesitation, choosing her 'mother' above Pikachu this time.

The assassin alongside his servant was left in the house, hearing the sound of the wind that blew through the open entrance door.

Ash walked to his chair again, sitting down again. Once he sat, he let out a long sigh and he didn't know why he felt so miserable. Even Lucario couldn't describe that feeling, however, he wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do.

"Are we really heartless monsters?" Ash asked his Pokémon.

"I don't think so master. The normal population just don't understand our intentions." The aura Pokémon replied. It was true that assassin's fight for the right thing, although they used unconventional methods.

"I know and we always knew that we wouldn't get any praise from the citizens that we helped without their knowing …" Ash remembered the lessons he had with master Oak and everything about the reasons that their creed was so important.

"You're right master, we kill a single person for the benefits of the masses …" The strength of the assassins were to localize their main target and eliminate them without much fight.

The assassin pulled his hood deeper down into his face, covering his eyes completely.

"Lucario?" Ash said with an unsure tone. "Did my ego really put the citizens in danger?"

That was a difficult question for Lucario, because he didn't want to insult his master nor he wanted to forget about his master's 'mistakes'.

"Can I be honest?" Lucario asked, receiving a nod from his master. "You were full of yourself during the last days … You forgot a lot of things that you learned during your training, mostly because you thought you didn't need them …. You ran head over heels into your opponents, not thinking what could happen … you spent too little time for obtaining of information … you just broke into Giovanni's house without a plan … You showed your face too many times … To tell the truth …You aren't the same since you were raised into the rank of a master assassin …"

The aura Pokémon was surprised that he could tell his master all of his thoughts without being interrupted by him. Looking at his master, the aura user saw that Ash seemed to think about Lucario's words and probably he could accept his mistakes he did.

Ash left silently the table, walking upstairs. He entered the room that was once occupied by the brunette who pleaded him for his help minutes ago.

He threw himself onto the bed consuming all the things that were told to him: Not only May's, but also Lucario's.

'Am I really such an egoistical bastard? …' Ash wondered, looking up to the ceiling before he felt that something was still inside his pocket. He pulled it out and saw that it was the photo and the stuff toy that he took with him when he rescued the brunette.

The assassin looked at the picture, noticing the large smile on that kid's face.

'She is an orphan just like me, but …. She still cares about other people that aren't her family … What would mum think about me if she were able to see me right now …'

'Maybe it's time to get serious …' Ash sat up, placing the photo and the stuff toy on a small table before he walked down to his Pokémon, who helped him to realize his mistakes.

* * *

May ran through the streets again, ignoring her problems to breath properly. Still suffering from her outburst, the brunette had no plan what to do next. She wasn't strong enough nor had she enough influence to stop this whole thing.

Behind her was Eevee that tried to catch up with her, although it was easier said than done for the small evolution Pokémon. One last time Eevee yelled for her 'mother', hoping that she would wait for her.

Indeed, the bandana-wearing girl heard her pleading Pokémon and stopped immediately to lift the fox up.

"Ah Eevee … what are we supposed to do? .." May pulled the fox closer to her, seeking for comfort on her smooth fur. Eevee didn't know what they could do, but the small fox wasn't very old either and so she hadn't much experience with situations like that.

"I feel so useless …. Should we still go to Dawn?" May asked her small pet.

The fox thought for a short time and came to the conclusion that they hadn't many options left anyway. It was the only thing they could actually do, because Dawn thought that May was dead and maybe they could cheer her up when they show up.

"Eve Eevee Vee" The normal type responded and May understood. They had to be there for her friend, even if this was the hardest time for her right now.

The brunette wiped her last tears away before she ran to her friend, forgetting the people that 'rescued' her.

* * *

In front of the castle there was a lot of trouble, making it clear that the big 'event' would start soon. Several guards were placed across the whole square and most of them were in groups of five men.

In the middle of the square was a scaffold where the 'guilty' farmer Chris Berlitz would be executed within the next two hours.

"Are you sure you want to do this master?" Lucario asked his master who leaned against a wall that was opposite the entrance of the palace.

"Of course I'm sure, because I think we can help the citizens and make progression with our plan." Ash sat, looking more concentrated than ever before. On his shoulder was his yellow rodent who was ready to take on any challenge.

"How does it help us?" This time the aura user didn't know what his master meant, but he was glad that Ash finally thought about the things.

"What's our main mission? We have to weaken the influence of the templar and when we prevent this execution they can't terrorize the citizens anymore." Ash explained. "We can show everyone in this city that the king's ideas were just bullshit!"

"I understand master, but how are we supposed to find the prisoner?" The aura Pokémon asked puzzled, not knowing the plan of his master so far.

"Come on, Lucario! I thought you were the smarter one of us." Ash smiled, surprising Lucario when he told him that he praised Lucario's abilities.

"Listen! The templar think we are after King Cyrus!" Ash explained, receiving a nod from the blue Pokémon. "However, Cyrus won't appear until the start of the execution and so they won't expect us earlier."

"You think that we won't meet any confrontation as long as we aren't near the scaffold."

"Exactly, but I'm not sure where the prison is though! However, I heard that the large prison is inside the Castle Sant'Angelo and it is over three miles away." Ash explained. "I'm convinced that this castle has a prison, too, although it won't be huge."

"Why the hell has the city two castles?" Lucario thought aloud, catching some unwanted attention, luckily nothing happened though.

"Shush …." Ash put his forefinger in front of his mouth, shushing Lucario. "I don't know why, but we can be happy that they didn't use it for this event. "

Then they heard a noise, but they didn't know what it was, however, they saw that the guards left their post, making the square for a short time accessible for everyone.

"It seems that we have the luck on our side this time. Look, the changing of the guards is right now." Ash exclaimed, dragging Lucario with him. At first he pretended to pass the square, but shortly before he reached the next wall he turned left, sneaking into the left part of the square.

From the distance Ash already saw that the square had many different plants, including bushes. This was just perfect to get into the area.

"Let me guess, master! The most difficult part is over?" Lucario joked, however, his master had a stern face expression.

"To be honest, I think this was the easiest part and I hope that the guards don't have any Houndoom this time, because then we would have difficulties with hiding." Ash said again, keeping his concentration unlike other times.

There were almost two hundred feet between them and the castle, needing some good strategy to get there without pulling any attention.

In silence Ash followed the routes of the patrolling guards, noticing that they always walked to the entrance gate and then back to the scaffold. Patiently, Ash waited for the right time before he sneaked over the way to another bush that was closer to the castle.

They played hide and seek for almost twenty minutes until Ash and his Pokémon reached the bush closest to the castle.

"That was clever master, but what now?" The aura Pokémon peeked out of their small hideout, noticing the four guards in front of the entrance gate of the castle.

Ash tipped on the shoulder of his Pokémon, pointing to a small stable with some Rapidashs. However, the most important thing were the haystacks near it.

"What's the best friend of the assassin?" Ash asked playfully, returning to his childish self a bit.

"His servant?" Lucario asked, hoping that he was put about the yellow rodent on Ash's shoulder.

"No you idiot, I mean the haystack, the perfect hideout in every situation." Ash looked again for the patrolling guards while Lucario mumbled something like 'First an iceman … now a haystack …'.

Just in time Ash pulled Lucario to the stable, diving into the fresh hay. Everything was perfect without the hay allergy of a certain rodent.

"PikACHOO …." The electro type sneezed and caught the attention of one of the patrolling guards who was near the stable. Ash immediately clasped his hands in front of Pikachu's nose, pretending any further sneezes from the yellow fur.

The guard approached the Hay, looking very annoyed that he had to work today. He had a spear with him and he used it to poke into the hay, missing the three members inside the hay by millimeters.

Through a small peephole the assassin could see that the other guard was at the opposite side of the square, however, the guard in front of them would poke right into the place where Lucario was hiding.

'Here and now or never' Ash thought when he left the hay for a few seconds, stabbing the guard with both of his blades. He hit the kidneys, forcing the man to loose his consciousness immediately before he pulled him into the hay. Luckily nobody of the other guards seemed to notice that one of them was missing.

"That was close …"Ash sighed in relief, pushing the body of the guard deeper into the hay. The Rapidashs will be happy …

"What's next, master?" At the moment Lucario had enough confidence in his master to follow him without hesitation.

"I don't know, because we don't have a clue if the dungeon is inside the castle or not …" The master assassin changed his position within the hay, peeking out to the left side this time. The castle wasn't very big and it would surprise Ash if Cyrus would actually be here.

At the side of the large building, that was out of sight for the rest of the guards, was a cellar entrance and the door showed off some bars.

"I wonder …" Ash looked more precisely to this place, spotting another guard in front of it. Strangely, he had a key on his belt and Ash would change his name if this wasn't the key for the cellar.

"Hey Lucario!" Ash nudged his Pokémon on the shoulder, catching his attention. "I think they have their dungeon inside their cellar …. But … it seems to be too simple …"

"You're right master!" The aura type admitted. "We would just have to beat this guy to get access to their prisoner …"

"On the other hand they didn't know that we'll free this man anyway …" The black-haired boy thought about a plan to kill this man without much noise.

He then took a coin out of his Pokémon and threw it right in front of the guards, forcing him to stand up for it. After a few steps the guard bowed down, ready to increase his wealth with this little coin.

However, it was Ash' time to shine when he pierced the neck of the guard, killing him immediately. Ash couldn't risk the possibility that someone find him nor that someone could miss him.

He grabbed the man under his arms, pulling him to the box he was sitting on. Once he placed the man again on the box, Ash positioned the arms of the guard in his lap. It seemed that the guardian slept, although he wouldn't wake up anymore.

The assassin was satisfied with that solution and he picked the key from the belt of the man. It was time to enter the cellar and hopefully the dungeon of the 'holiday castle'.

Ash looked back, ensuring himself that everybody was here as well. He also smiled at Lucario, happy that he still got it after some miserable attempts.

The noise of the opening door sent shiver through Ash' body, hating these old doors. Slowly, he closed the door behind him.

"Uh … It seems that this passage lacks of light …" Ash pinched his eyes together, but it was senseless. Not a single sunbeam reached the stairs of the dungeon, however, it was good at the same time when the guards couldn't see him either wise.

"No problem, master!" Lucario cheered his master up. "It's time to use our aura. Just do it the way I taught you."

Both of them closed their eyes, concentrating again. The only one who felt left out was Pikachu, but the electro mouse could just sit on the shoulder of the assassin.

Ash was relieved when he saw the borders of his surroundings. At first they had to walk down the stairs, occasionally turning to the left when the wall appeared in front of them.

"Although this is a small castle, they have a large dungeon. Don't you think so, too?" Ash asked, cheering Pikachu up who got crazy when he didn't hear or see anything.

"I guess, but they have sure not many guards here …" Lucario commented to his master' statement.

Finally, they reached the last stair and for the first time they could see some light. This seemed to be the dungeon district, containing many torches on the walls. For their surprise there wasn't any guard either and all of them became more and more suspicious.

"I don't like this …" Ash mumbled, looking for the prison chambers. Somewhere here they had to be and indeed they soon found four chambers on the left side of the district.

They looked into the first chamber, but nobody was inside of it. The same thing was with the second and third chamber, however, they heard some noises from the last one.

They approached the grating, peeking through the single bars. In the back of the dark place sat one single man and he didn't seem to notice his three 'guests'.

"Hey!" Ash shouted quietly enough. "Are you Chris … uh … something?" The assassin already forgot the last name of the prisoner, but there weren't many people with the name Chris either way.

Startled by the unknown voices, the prisoner approached the grating. He was surprised to see a man who wasn't a guard obviously and two Pokémon.

"How do you know my name?!" He asked uncertainly, not hoping too much though.

"I think at the moment everyone in this city knows your name, but it doesn't matter at the time." The assassin explained, testing the stability of the chamber. It was too hard to break anything out of it.

"Do you have a clue where the key for this chamber is?" Ash asked the prisoner, hoping for a cooperative collaboration.

The man inside the chamber looked confused, seemingly not knowing what would happen in approximately one hour.

"No, you must not free me!" he demanded. "I'll just sit one month in jail and after that I can return to my family."

Both Ash and Lucario couldn't believe that Chris actually didn't know anything about his upcoming execution. It seemed that the king decided this whole event after they arrested this man.

"Listen! You won't be released in one month, because they will execute you within the next hour!" The words of the Kanto native shocked the prisoner who couldn't believe one word from this man.

"That's a bad joke!" Chris exclaimed, looking at the stranger in front of him. Due to the lack of light he couldn't notice that this man was the assassin that everybody searched for.

"I can't force you to believe me, but your little daughter is devastated that her daddy won't be there for her anymore." Ash said with a stern voice, although he knew this information only from a certain brunette.

"How the hell did you know my daughter?" Chris exclaimed, grabbing the bars of his chamber.

"I didn't know her personally, however her friend told me that the king decided to execute you as a threat!" The assassin crossed his arms, becoming impatient with the length of this conversation.

"Her friend? May's alive? And what do you mean as a threat? " Chris didn't stop asking questions, much to the dismay of the assassin who hadn't much time for this.

"Yes, she's alive, but can't you just tell me where the key is?" Ash tipped impatiently with his foot on the ground. Even Lucario and Pikachu were annoyed by this whole scene.

"I … I don't know …. They just throw me in this chamber and left … I think they took the key with them …" Chris seemed convinced that the stranger in front of him said the truth, however, it didn't decreased his problems.

"Perfect!" Ash exclaimed sarcastically and threw his arms into the air, kicking against the dungeon wall.

"Can't I just destroy the chamber with an Aurasphere, master?" Lucario suggested. However, the assassin shook his head, implying that this isn't a good idea.

"Do you see this dungeon? If you use an aurasphere and destroys the chamber with it, the echo could be heard inside the whole castle." Ash had a point there and they couldn't risk to pull any attention, because they had only one escape route.

"It would take too much time to search upstairs for the key … " Ash said, looking around for something that they could use to loosen the hinges of the chamber.

However, besides the torches there was nothing. This situation seemed hopeless, however, the trusty Lucario spotted something interesting.

"Look, master! Over there!" The aura Pokémon pointed to a door that was well hidden in the shadows. It seemed that this room was rarely used, although it looked very new to Ash. At least, he could search there for some tool that could help them.

The assassin opened the door and what he saw put a big smile on his face. His Pikachu looked with big curiosity at the things in that room and Lucario knew what his master had in mind now.

"Hey Chris!" Ash shouted to the prisoner.

"What is?" Mr. Berlitz responded, not putting much hone in his voice.

"I have an idea, but you have to trust me though." The assassin exclaimed, smirking at the plan he had in mind right now. Ash disappeared in that small room, preparing for a plan that could rescue all of them or kill all of them, it depended on the performance.

* * *

May ran through the streets, passing several houses that she knew since her childhood. Even after she passed her school, the brunette wouldn't slow down and Eevee was lucky enough to be carried by May.

In a few minutes she would reach Dawn's house, however, she didn't know how to start a 'conversation' when the father of her friend was about to die. Everything was so complicated and nobody could tell you how to act without being in such a situation before.

Just when she passed another crossroad, a blunette ran into the other direction. The brunette stopped dead track, turning around to see the familiar blue hair from the Berlitz daughter.

"Hey Dawn!" May yelled across the street. Dawn, who ran out of her breath, stopped when she heard a voice, she thought she would never hear again.

Turning around, the blunette saw the face of the May and she recognized her immediately, although she wore different clothes this time.

"MAY!" Dawn almost screamed across the road, running towards her thought-to-be-lost friend. They reunited with a big hug that lasted longer than usual. It didn't need an expert to say that both of them were happy to see each other again.

"It's so good to see you, May!" Dawn exclaimed, hugging her even tighter. "Where were you? I thought you died when I heard that your house burnt down."

"It's a long story Dawn, but I'm fine …. However … I heard the news about your father …" May hesitated to bring this topic up, but it needed to be done.

Dawn didn't answered when she broke down in tears, sobbing louder than May did before at Ash' hideout. It wasn't childish, because it's hard to loose one of his parents, it doesn't matter how old you are.

"I know that nothing I say will help you, but I'm with you …" May kneeled down near her friend, feeling the pain of loosing a father, too. When she lost her dad, she was too young to realize it to full extent, but you would miss him nevertheless.

"Life … is ….. So … unfair …" Dawn still sobbed, not attempting to stop her tears from coming out. How should she handle this situation?

"I know …" May patted the back of her friend, starting to sob slightly herself. However, there was still a question on May's mind though.

"Why are you running through the streets, Dawn?" The brunette looked Dawn into the eyes, noticing that the blunette had problems to see through her tears.

"I want … to see my father ….. Mum ….. She broke down …. She isn't able to do anything at the moment …" Dawn murmured between her sobs.

"Are you sure you want to see this?" May wasn't excited to see how a close friend would be executed and it had to be ten times worse for Dawn.

"I don't only want to see him … I want to pray for a miracle …. It's everything that I can do at the moment ….. I won't sit at home, doing nothing …." Dawn explained weakly, coughing slightly because of a sore throat.

"I'll go with you, Dawn …" The brunette helped her friend to her feet, stabilizing her.

Both of them walked silently into the direction of the scaffold that would host the infamous event.

* * *

Within the next half hour the first execution in almost three years will occur. Of course, it attracted many spectators as well. The guards started to lock a large space around the scaffold up, leaving enough space for the citizens to stand around.

In a few minutes King Cyrus would arrive to attend the 'memorable' event. Secretly he hoped that a certain killer would show up and he made provisions to make it a very painful meeting for him.

Meanwhile, many citizens gathered around the scaffold. Most of them were noble people who just wanted to be 'entertained', fleeing from the boring everyday life. Only a few farmers were there too, ready to boo whoever executed their fellow farmer.

Some guards shushed the crowd to the sides when a large carriage that was pulled by four Rapidash arrived at that scene. The king left the comfortable Castle Sant'Angelo to see it first hand.

It was impossible to reach the king when he was surrounded by six guards who followed him to the castle. The king wished to watch the spectacle from the balcony of his 'summer residence'.

Three guards started to walk towards the dungeon, noticing the 'sleeping' guard in front of it. They laughed about this incompetent guardian and one of them pulled on the doorknob and it opened. It surprised all of them, but they shrugged it off, believing that their stupid fellow guard just forgot to lock it up.

They entered the dark stairway with a torch, expecting to see their prisoner where they left him. Times ran out for the farmer, but what will happen next?

**End of chapter 13!**

* * *

**It's not a cliffhanger in my opinion, but you can be excited about the next chapter though. It took me some time to think about this whole scene, but I'll make sure that violence won't come short. Is there a special Pokémon character you want to see within the story? (Brock, Misty, Iris, Cilan)**

**Some things for understanding : **

**- May only returned to Ash because of her Eevee (At first though)**

**- May is very desperate in this chapter and I hope you can see it**

**- The scene where May slapped and punched Ash is from One Piece (When Vivi slapped Luffy - only for Insiders)**

**- Ash refused to help her at first, because he would disrespect the creed if he do something that didn't involve his mission, however, he turned the things so he can actually help**

**- Haystack? (Nothing new for people who played the game)**

**- The castle Sant'Angelo is from Assassin's Creed : Brotherhood**

**- Ash had became more serious**

**- Will Chris survive or not? (What do you want?)**

**- I assume that you know what Ash is about to do**

**- May didn't know anything about Ash' rescue attempt**

**I hope you liked that chapter, because it's not easy to post a new one every three days. It also seemed that I'm actual the only one who does that. Therefore I'm mega happy when I get reviews!**

**Please don't flame (Advanceshipping and minor Ikarishipping)**

**Please review!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Slowly but surely I don't know what I can write in my author notes anymore, but maybe I should just use random thoughts. The situation around Ash and the templar becomes more intense and encounters won't come short. With that chapter, I break the 100,000 words border and it's nice that you are interested in it the whole time. This story is rated M for violence, blood, murder, deaths and bad language. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon or Assassin's Creed**

**R&R!**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Almost everyone forced his way to a point where they could get a good view at this event, fearing that they could miss something. For all the nobles it was really a delight to be 'entertained' with an event like that, although they weren't thrilled to share their place with some of the 'poor'.

The king took his place on top of the balcony and he had the best view over all and everyone. Surrounded by his guards, Cyrus awaited the prisoner who should be 'escorted' in a couple of minutes.

Despite there best efforts Dawn and May were too late to get a place in the front rows and her relative small height made it difficult to see something.

"Oh no! We're too late." May said out of her breath, patting heavily.

"Maybe it's better so …" Dawn sighed, relying on the help of May to stay standing. There was no way to dash through the masses, but the brunette promised her friend that she would help her to see her father at least 'one last time'.

"No, you'll see your father!" The brunette looked around, playing with an idea in her head. The reason was a nearby treetop that reached over the wall of the palace square. It could be hard to climb it; however, it would also be the perfect point to see everything.

"Come on Dawn! We'll climb on top of that tree!" The brown-haired girl pushed the blunette to this large single tree and they immediately started the climb.

They weren't the most athletic, but due to her low weight, they reached the top within seconds. On top of a large branch May and Dawn peeked through the leaves and saw the scaffold, however, Chris wasn't there at the moment.

"Do you see him?" The blue-haired girl asked her friend, because she wasn't able to see through her eyes full of tears.

"No, at least not yet." May replied, looking at the surroundings.

There wasn't any gallows and May assumed that they would execute Mr. Berlitz via decapitation. This made the whole scene more unbearable than expected and the brunette knew that she had to cover Dawn's eyes in the moment of horror.

It was a miracle that the two girls were the only ones that had this idea; however, they were also the only two girls around here that still behaved like children.

* * *

It was only a question of seconds until their 'guest of the time' would arrive and king Cyrus took this moment as a chance to speak to the folk, extending his power among them.

"Folk of Petalburg, I'm honored to present you something that was already overdue and that will happen more often in the future. Too long, we suffered from criminals that thought that they wouldn't get any real punishment, but now they have to realize that there actions will cost their lives."

Cyrus' words met a mixed reaction from the crowd, but most of it was a negative one. Most citizens of the city were part of the 'third class' and were commensurately not very much for this event.

"This is just the start of some new changes to punishment and you can look forward to a more fair society in the future. Every kingdom needs a folk that feels responsible for their duties and everyone, who thinks that he doesn't have to follow the public welfare, will end up like him!"

Cyrus pointed to the side of the smaller castle, forcing the crowd to watch a door open.

From out of the door, four men left the dungeon. Two of them were normal guards with their spears and armors; one was a man with a black robe that covered all of his skin with the exception of his hands. He had some axe with him and everybody knew immediately that this had to be the executioner, a man with no conscience at all.

In the middle of them was the blue haired farmer, called Chris Berlitz. The crime that he committed was to 'refuse' to pay the royal taxes; however, most of the 'poor' people knew that their fellow farmer wasn't a criminal at all.

* * *

On top of the three, you could see May who threw some death glares towards the executioner, hoping that he would just die because of it. Dawn's eyes instead were only focused on her father who didn't look as nervous as he should be, however, the blunette couldn't hold her tears.

May comforted her friend in her darkest hour, hugging her very tightly while Eevee just sat on that branch. The little fox only knew Chris as someone who gave her food now and then, but she never had an emotional bond with him though.

"It's okay Dawn. Look how brave your father is!" May pointed to Chris who walked to the scaffold without any hesitation, surprising everyone. Either he had admitted his fate or he was just plain stupid, although it didn't matter at this time.

"I don't know if I'm able ….. To watch this …" The blunette started to sob, soaking the blouse of her brown-haired friend.

* * *

While the escort made their way to the scaffold, King Cyrus smirked, looking at all of those manipulated people in the crowd. Today, he would make a statement that would prevent anyone to question his reign as king.

The two guards were the first that walked up the eight steps of the small wooden stairs. Close behind them was Chris, who looked to the ground, however, his face expression didn't show any form of fear, at least not a real one.

The last one was the executioner who lifted his axe several times to frighten the crowd, much to the delight of King Cyrus. Intimidation was the best form to control a folk, at least in his opinion.

Some people of the audience wanted to throw eggs and tomatoes at this bastard; however, they feared the punishment that they would receive from King Cyrus.

In the middle of scaffold was a wooden block, ready to serve as part of the execution. A basket in front of it would catch the thing that was about to be cut of the man's shoulders.

The line-up was as followed: One of the guards was in front of the wooden block, preparing to announce the event, Chris was behind the block and was already pushed onto his knees, the second guard was behind him, holding the prisoner onto the ground and the executioner stood on the left side of the block, holding his axe.

Everything was prepared; however, King Cyrus seemed to miss somebody. The secret reason, that he attended the event, wasn't here so far and Cyrus wondered what was taking him so long.

With or without his secret target, the execution would start now and there was no way that the king would stop this spectacle.

"Today, we will call a criminal to account who thought that he could ignore the king's orders while receiving all the privileges of a citizen of Petalburg. Therefore he will get the treatment that he deserves and King Cyrus condemned him as guilty in all cases!" The guard announced, receiving boos from everyone, because there weren't any privileges in that town, at least not for them.

"The verdict is death through decapitation!" The guard finished the verdict and stepped to the side, leaving his fellow guards enough room to follow their instructions.

The second guards pressed Chris' head onto the block, so that the head extended over the edge of the wood. Now the executioner had the perfect opportunity to cut the head right on the neck and Mr. Berlitz closed his eyes, not showing any regret about his life.

"Any last words?" The guard asked the soon-to-be-dead man.

"I only wanted to say that I don't regret anything and that I love my wife and my daughter with all of my heart!" He said loudly, touching the hearts of many citizens.

"Then let's finish this!" The guard motioned to the executioner to do his job and the man with the black robe lifted the axe over his head, aiming for the head of the guilty.

The axe rushed down onto the head of Chris …

* * *

When Dawn heard the last words of her father, she couldn't do everything, but starting to cry. It was even worse than she could imagine.

May hugged her friend, looking at this horror. There was no way that this would end with a happy end.

"FA~THER" Dawn screamed one last time when the axe dashed onto the head of her beloved one. Both girls closed their eyes, awaiting the dumb noise that would occur.

However, there was no noise and May opened slowly her eyes. The brunette looked to the scaffold, seeing the executioner who held his axe only inches above the head of Chris, but he didn't hit it at all.

The brunette nudged her friend on her shoulder before she pointed to that scenario. Was it possible that some god heard Dawn's prayers and that Chris would survive?

* * *

The executioner stopped his attack, not cutting the head of the prisoner. Everyone was puzzled, wondering what was wrong with him and the 'nobles' started to boo this time.

"What's wrong with you?" The guard behind Chris asked, approaching the man with the black robe.

However, he never came very close to him when the executioner swung the axe around and planted it right into the man's stomach. The guard screamed in pain before the axe was removed again, leaving a giant cut across the man's belly. Without any hesitation, the guard fell onto his knees, collapsing when he couldn't bear the pain anymore.

"What the hell …" The other guard yelled, but before he could do anything, he was executioned as well.

The disguised man threw the axe that hit the guard right into the chest, forcing him to fall off the scaffold into the crowd of nobles. Now everyone started to panic and all women screamed, alarming the last rows that something bad happened.

They started to dash away, elbowing everyone in their path. Normally they had the favor in the numbers game, but nobody wanted to get hurt, especially the nobles. The third class didn't know what to think, but they were glad that Chris was still survive.

The king stood up, leaning over the edge of his balcony. Was it possibly that he was fooled? He never expected that he would come up with a plan like that.

Chris sat down on the ground, sighing in relief that it was over.

"You know? You didn't have to make it so dramatically! For one second I thought you wouldn't stop that attack."

The disguised figure chuckled a bit, revealing that he was very young for this kind of job. Then he threw the black robe away, showing his white cloak and hood. Between his feet were two different Pokémon : One middle-sized blue Pokémon who had to bow down in a bit to fit in that place and a small yellow rodent that jumped to the front of the 'executioner'.

"Honestly, I don't think that this job would be very difficult and you could take any lumberjack for that!" The revealed assassin stretched his arms, feeling the fresh air after his was quiet some time in that dungeon and under that robe.

"Master, don't loose your focus! It isn't over yet." Lucario reminded his master, that the most difficult part of their plan was still ahead of them.

"Okay, I promise you that I won't go on an Ego-trip this time, but for now I think we should start. I hope that most of the people understand what we are doing right now .." Ash looked around, seeing the fleeing nobles and the puzzled third class.

"Give me a sword!" Chris demanded, extending his hand towards his 'savior'.

"NO, you won't get one, because then the king could think that you are an assassin, too, and you wouldn't be able to go back to your family!" Ash explained quietly enough that only Chris could hear it.

"But I want to fight for my own life and -" Chris couldn't finish his sentence when Ash kicked him off the scaffold into a group of farmers who dragged him to safety, much to the dismay of Chris at the time. In the eyes of the guards and the king it seemed that, the assassin only used the prisoner for his own diabolic plan, therefore there was no reason to follow Chris Berlitz.

* * *

May and Dawn couldn't believe what they just saw, but one thing was for sure : The blunette stopped to cry when she saw her father was dragged away by a group of farmers. Some of them were also friends with him, cheering Dawn up.

The brunette focused her gaze on someone other than Chris and she couldn't believe that 'he' was actually here. Not only him, but also Lucario and Pikachu who got the full attention of the fox right now.

Eevee and May didn't realized that Dawn climbed down from the tree, but not without yelling to her friend.

"Hey May! The farmers bring my dad to our house, but I think he didn't see me. Come on, we have to catch up with them." Dawn stood at the bottom of the tree, waving to the brunette.

May hesitated, but decided that she would join Dawn for now. Both Ash and Lucario were still killer in her opinion, therefore there was no reason to worry about them. In a couple of seconds, May with her fox pet stood on the bottom of the tree as well.

Not wasting one single precious second, Dawn grabbed her brown-haired friend by the wrist and dragged her after the group of farmers.

May ,who didn't fight against this, looked over her shoulder, noticing that many guards started to surround the scaffold. Something in the inside of May's heart told her that she shouldn't leave like that, however, the brunette followed her friend despite her bad conscience.

* * *

Ash and his friends got company when over twenty guards surrounded them, blocking every possible escape route for them. It seems that the assassin had no way out and even a bird Pokémon couldn't rescue him anymore.

"What should we do now master?" Lucario asked quiet nervously, breaking his calm character.

"To be honest, we did exactly what we wanted to do. We rescued this man and fucked up this whole event, however, I fear that the king didn't get it. So I have to give him one more reason to think that I wasn't here, because of Chris."

Ash took his bow and one arrow before he aimed for the king, at least for something near the king. There was no way that he could kill the main templar so easy.

When he shot that arrow, it hit a chain that held a vase on the upper side of the balcony. One of the guards stepped into the front of Cyrus, holding a big shield. The arrow didn't flew against the shield, but rather against the chain, destroying it.

The vase alongside the earth and the flower landed right onto Cyrus crown, filling it with the humus. This wasn't an attack on the king's life, but it was equal criminal. King Cyrus was embarrassed in front of his citizens and his anger raised to new heights.

Between the laughter of the citizens, Cyrus yelled his next obvious order.

"KILL HIM!" He screamed before he entered the castle through the balcony window, leaving the place of shame.

"Was that necessary, master?" The aura Pokémon threw an unsure look to his master who placed his bow around his body again.

"It wasn't necessary, but maybe it will help that the small brain of the king starts to grow with all of this dung." Ash chuckled a bit, however, he didn't loose his focus this time. It was time to escape before they could disappear somewhere.

The guards started to approach them and the first heavy armored man walked up the stairs of the scaffold, holding even larger axes than the one that Ash used short before.

The assassin remembered how he executed this whole plan.

_/Flashback/_

_The three guards entered the dungeon, holding a torch each of them. It wasn't the most difficult task to get this prisoner and escort him to the scaffold without risking his escape. _

"_Tell me Harold, what are you going to do this evening?" One of the guards asked without any care in the world. _

"_I wanted to check up some of those new pubs that have opened the last few weeks, man, I hope they have a great staff there, Adam." Harold almost drooled when he thought about the woman that would sweeten his evening. _

"_You'll never change, Harold, will you?" Adam laughed hard, entering the lower part of the dungeon. _

"_You can come with us! Jason, here, will come, too." He pointed to the man that walked slightly behind them. Jason just scratched the back of his head, admitting that he would love to see some ladies. _

"_Let's talk about that when we have finished this!" Adam suggested when they stood in front of the chamber that contained their target. _

"_Jason, could you get the executioner outfit now? It's only a black robe and an axe, but it's still necessary. Don't forget that King Cyrus is watching this!" Harold pointed to a small door, hidden in the shadows at the other side of the dungeon. _

"_Okay, but you owe me a beer!" Jason explained with a chuckle, approaching the door. _

_When he opened the door he saw a man with a black robe, but he wasn't able to ask or run away when the disguised figure stabbed him right into the kidney. _

_The hooded man then just laid the body into the empty small room before he left it, closing it right after it. _

_Adam and Harold already pulled the prisoner out of his chamber and started to make jokes about him. Then 'Jason' returned with the black robe, wearing the axe in his right hand. _

"_You didn't need much time to change?" Adam noticed, remembering that Jason was only away for just thirty seconds. _

_The disguised figure shrugged, not wanting to say anything. _

"_Oh, you'll play the boogeyman?" Harold said, pushing the prisoner into the direction of the stairs. They then walked out of the dungeon, preparing for the upcoming execution. _

_/End of Flashback/_

"It was a genius plan master to take the role of the executioner." Lucario praised the newfound seriousness of his master.

Suddenly an arrow flew into the direction of Lucario and it would have pierced his heart if his master didn't jump into the way. Ash' shoulder was pierced, but that wasn't bad for him. After all, he saved his aura Pokémon from a deadly blow.

"Master!" The blue Pokémon exclaimed and Pikachu looked very worried.

"Come on Lucario, rather my shoulder than your heart!" The assassin pulled the arrow out of the wound, however, he noticed that this one looked strange.

Nevertheless, there was no time to think about unimportant things like that and the first guards were only a few feet away from them. They made themselves ready for a fight, however, the yellow rodent heard something from behind.

The guards in front of the scaffold were in a fight with some of the farmers, pushing them away. It wasn't clear, but these farmers seemed to help Ash and his friends.

"What's going on there, master?" The aura Pokémon spotted a small alley between the guards.

"Does it matter, Lucario? We can escape now and I'm happy that we didn't allow Pidgeot to come, too. Around the palace are a way to many archers for him." Ash jumped off the scaffold, entering the small free place in front of it.

Close behind him were Pikachu and Lucario and despite the best efforts of the farmers, they still had to fight some of the guards.

Ash used his typical technique, dodging the attacks before he stabbed them either into their kidney or neck. Weirdly, these guards seemed to be very untrained, although they were supposed to watch the palace square.

Lucario used several of his physical attacks, such as close combat or Bone crush, throwing the men in front of him several meters into the air.

The yellow rodent was very good on its own and he used constantly his iron tail and quick attack, outmatching every single person in front of him.

They reached the edge of the crowd, leaving the hot zone. Ash touched his shoulder, feeling some sort of 'burning' pain inside of it. Additional to that, he started to sweat heavily, although they didn't do much so far.

Now, it was time to use the shadows of the alleys to get rid of their chasers. Until they were out of their eyesight, they couldn't return to their hideout. The aura Pokémon pointed to a nearby alley that connected several streets with another.

All three of them dashed through the crowd, making clear that they didn't hurt any innocents. Some guards on their way were tripped by a farmer and the assassin-trio felt good that some of the citizens acknowledged their quest.

After they reached the alley, Lucario noticed that his master panted heavily.

"What's wrong, master, it isn't like you to run out of breath after some short fight." The aura user saw that his master grabbed his heart, almost squeezing the skin above it.

Lucario got a bad presumption and he remembered some things. It was only a single arrow, although there were enough guards for a hail of arrows. His master was only shot into his shoulder, however, he's loosing more and more of his energy. When Ash grabbed his heart, Lucario knew what was wrong with him.

"Master! The arrow that hit you was a poison arrow!" The aura user supported his master, but Ash refused to go down like that. He clenched his teeth and pointed to a nearby warehouse. At the moment, they needed a place where they could rest and Lucario took the leadership for the while.

They were still in eyesight of the guards, therefore they couldn't just enter the warehouse. Luckily, they had this useful electro-type Pokémon with them.

"Pikachu, use your flash attack to blind these guards!" It was an awkward moment when one Pokémon ordered another Pokémon, however, it wasn't time to discuss the role allocation.

"PIKA~CHUUUU!" The yellow rodent released a small thunder into the air that exploded shortly thereafter. That caused a bright light and everyone who didn't close his eyes early enough couldn't see anything for the next few minutes.

In the protection of the light, the three assassins entered the warehouse. It was ironic that they used light as an ally instead of the darkness this time.

However, they still had to hide, because the guards would search every building around the palace to find the assassin. The warehouse contained a lot of shelves and boxes, making it easy for the three to find a suitable hiding spot.

In the corner of the warehouse was a large 'tower' of boxes and the aura Pokémon used them to build some sort of wall around them. It looked funny how the steel type played with these boxes like a five-year-old with his toy blocks.

After several minutes they were shielded from any unwanted gazes from the guards, the yellow rodent sat next to his master, worrying that the poison could be too much for Ash.

"It's a shame that our aura doesn't work with poison wounds, isn't it?! The assassin chuckled, spitting some drops of blood.

"I'm no doctor, but I assume that this poison isn't for killing! I don't know why, but the guards seems to want to catch you." The aura Pokémon couldn't explain it.

"Oh boy, Lucario, you should start to think more logical." Ash leaned against a wall. "It's obvious that Cyrus has something to do with these templar and we assassins have always been the greatest threat to them. They wants to catch me and the force me to reveal where Masyaf is."

It was really obvious and the aura Pokémon felt bad that he didn't knew that.

They heard that someone opened the entrance gate of the warehouse, stopping every conversation immediately. It would take more than a miracle to get out of that house without any scratches.

The guards searched through the boxes, lifting some of them up. Luckily, they weren't the most patient one and so they left the house in under three minutes.

"What should we do now?" The aura Pokémon whispered, still fearing that someone could find them.

"We have to go back …. Nevertheless, I don't know if this poison is about to make me unconscious …. Can you see a way without guards? .." Ash needed always-fresh air after every sentence he spoke.

Educated in the use of Aura, Lucario searched for a way without any guards. It wasn't easy, because they were nearly everywhere. On the other hand they couldn't wait any longer, because of Ash.

"I found a small alley and normally we would need twenty minutes to our hideout, but …." The aura user was interrupted by some coughing from his master. Nobody of them expected that the templar would use poison to get them.

"PIKAPI PIKACHU KACHU PICHU" The yellow rodent yelled some words in his language. Once, they saw their fellow companion, Ash and Lucario noticed the determined gaze of the rodent.

"Are you sure you want to do that?" Ash asked the yellow rodent. The electro type nodded.

"It isn't a bad idea after all master, you know, Pikachu could run to our hideout and lead Pidgeot to us." The aura user approved the idea of the fellow 'servant'.

"I think I can't talk round you?" The assassin stood up, using his remaining strength.

The yellow rodent shook his head before he dashed out of the warehouse, focusing on his task.

"I feel so useless right now." Ash felt ashamed that he was again a burden for everyone, although he decided that he would do everything better in the future.

"That's not true, master! Without you, the arrow would have hit me in the chest and I don't know whether I would have survived that or not." The servant cheered Ash up, stating that there was no reason for him to be ashamed.

"I guess, you're right, but we should search for a spot where Pidgeot can pick us up and I would prefer some without any archers!"

They left the warehouse very carefully, looking a dozen of times in both directions to be sure that nobody saw them. With the help of Lucario's aura they found a house without any nearby guards. It would be easier for Pidgeot to find them if they were on top of one.

The aura Pokémon procured some ladder from a yard close to them. In his bad condition, Ash couldn't climb the house without help.

It wasn't easy, but they finally reached the roof of the house, enjoying the fresh air. Now, they just had to wait for Pikachu and Pidgeot to find them and it would be better sooner then later.

"Lucario?"

"What's the matter, master?" The aura user used his time to get an overlook over the whole situation. Every aura within the city seemed to be in panic.

"Do you think we did the right thing, today?" Ash laid on his back, relaxing his whole body in the process. It also relieve his heart that didn't need any kind of pressure at the moment.

"Let's see, master. We rescued a man who is husband and father from being executed, we sabotaged the first execution and showed everyone that this isn't necessary, we were helped by some farmers, and you weakened the influence of the templar. Yes, I think we did the right things this time!"

Ash just smiled when he heard that.

* * *

Dawn and May ran after the group of farmers who pushed Chris through the streets. Most of them were farmers that the blunette knew since her childhood.

"Dad!" Dawn yelled for her father, using all of her breath.

When Chris heard this familiar voice, he freed himself from the other farmers, telling them that he was alright and that they could let him go.

"Dawn?" He asked unsurely, not believing that his daughter was actually outside of their house. It wasn't the best situation for a teenager to be out on the streets.

The blue-haired teenager jumped into the arms of her father who caught her with slight problems. May approached the reunion, looking very happy about this meeting.

"Dawn, why are you here? Where's your mother?" Chris was confused, asking his daughter more questions then she would be able to answer.

"Mum is at home, crying like crazy. However, I wanted to see you one last time …. I was so scared …" Near the end of the response, Dawn started to sob again. This time, because of happiness rather than desperation.

"I know, Dawn, but everything is fine! Somebody rescued me from that …" Mr. Berlitz explained, not knowing that his daughter saw the whole scenario.

"Do you mean that guy on the scaffold told you that he would save you?" May interrupted the father/daughter conversation when she heard the information.

"May? It's really you, then I suppose that he didn't lie at all." When Chris spotted the brunette, he thought about his first conversation with the hooded stranger.

The brunette didn't know at first who he meant with 'he' , but after some seconds there was only one logical solution for that.

"He told you about me?" May couldn't imagine that this 'killer' actually listened to her.

"If you mean with him this guy that was with me on the scaffold with me than yes." Chris needed confirmation that May talked about the man he thought she did.

"Do you know that he is that assassin that is wanted by every guard in this town?" May clarified something that Chris should knew before he praised that man too much.

"Oh … He's an assassin?" Chris seemed to be deep in thoughts and his daughter Dawn didn't get anything from this conversation.

"That's right! He is one of the bad guys! He …." The brunette couldn't finish her sentence when Chris interrupted her.

"Don't dare you to judge him! It seems that you don't know anything about assassin, don't you? " Chris exclaimed, defending the 'killer'.

May was shocked by that outburst, not understanding the sympathy that Dawn's father felt for that assassin.

"Do you know that an assassin guild in Kanto destroyed an organization called templar ten years ago? Without them the templar would get the control of the whole kingdom and would have started a worldwide war! Their methods seemed very drastically but they fight for the good!"

May didn't know what she should think right now. Was it possible that she judged someone without any prove? The words of Chris echoed in her head …. Fight for the good … for the good …

The brunette backed down from Chris, blaming herself for all the words she shouted at Ash and Lucario.

"I hope you know what this man did for this city! Let's go back to our house." Chris took the hand of his daughter, escorting her to his house. "Do you come, May?"

However, the brunette didn't respond, feeling guilty for letting Ash on his own. The last thing she saw from him wasn't a great position to be in.

_No … he risks his own life …. Everybody is against him, but he still helps us … _The brown-haired girl couldn't let him on his own, not after what she said to him.

"May, are you coming?" Chris turned around, spotting a running brunette. May decided to go back to the palace, hoping to find the man she doomed before.

* * *

'Please … please .. Be alive …' May pleaded in her thoughts, dashing through the alleys. She couldn't forgive herself if something happened to him, not after all the things she didn't know about him.

During her way to the palace, the brunette noticed several farmers who pick a fight with a guard. It seemed that the third class had enough from those stupid rules of the king. King Cyrus should think twice about his next rule, otherwise, it could turn out into a revolution.

When she arrived at the palace square, she noticed several pools of blood and May covered her face. On the one hand, she couldn't see any blood, but on the other hand, she didn't know if any of the blood belonged to Ash.

Since the 'execution', Eevee stayed quiet, following her mother to every place where she went. The small pet went around the blood, not wanting to soak her fur with it.

"What if he …." The brunette again thought about these if - situations, fearing any scenario from capture to death.

The whole square showed the aftereffects of the event that happened just shortly ago. However, there was nowhere a body of an assassin. May couldn't think further about that topic and the only thing that could relieve her would be to see him.

If he wasn't captured or killed, he would be at his hideout. The brunette picked her brown fox Pokémon from the ground, placing her into her arms.

"Come on, Eevee! Let's see if Ash is okay." May said, but she knew that there was someone else on Eevee's mind. " …. and Pikachu, of course!"

With that, both of them left the square. The brunette still knew the way that would let her to the abdomen district of the city. For her surprise, there wasn't any blood along the way. On the one hand, it could mean that Ash never went to his hideout or that he could escape without any wounds.

On her way, May thought about the things she should say to Ash. She couldn't just pretend as if nothing happened.

'How am I supposed to apologize? … Maybe, I should have asked Chris some questions about the organization that Ash is in … It's still very confusing for me … How can it be good to kill people? … On the other hand, … my dad … was in the army and defended our country .. '

The brown-haired teenager entered the large plaza in front of Ash's hideout and much to her surprise, the large bird known as Pidgeot wasn't on the roof. May calmed herself down, telling herself that the bird just flew away to eat something or so.

The house didn't show any signs of a fight, leading to the conclusion that the guards of the town didn't find this spot so far. She hesitated a bit, but in the end, she knocked on the door. Several minutes without any noticeable respond, she just opened the door by herself.

She couldn't remember a single time when the door was locked up, but on the other hand, there weren't many people who knew this place anyway.

"ASH …. LUCARIO!" The brunette shouted into the room, hoping for some kind of response that never came.

"Eevee?" The small fox shouted not for herself, but rather for the yellow mouse Pokémon that had a special place in her heart.

"It seemed that they aren't here …" May said disappointed, caressing the fur of her fox. For a few seconds she just kneeled near her Pokémon, looking at the surroundings.

Everything was at its place and May even remembered something that she knew from the breakfast that she ate here. It was almost as if Ash and Lucario left the house shortly after May punched some 'good sense' into Ash's head.

"Maybe we should go back to Dawn …" The brunette left the house, closing the door of the hideout.

Just when she set her first step onto the plaza, she spotted a large bird on the horizon, coming from the direction of the palace. Her eyes grew wide when she saw the familiar Pidgeot that flew into her direction.

The small fox Eevee seemed to notice that her beloved mouse was with him, causing her to squeal in happiness.

"What is Eevee? Do you think that Pikachu and Ash are up there?" May looked down to her Eevee and the brown fur just nodded.

On top of the large bird was Lucario who had the yellow rodent in his lap, but there was no sign of Ash though. Shouldn't he be the one who sat on front of his bird?

The aura Pokémon saw the brunette in front of his hideout, wondering what she was doing there. According to Pikachu's reaction, Eevee was with her. The electro-type jumped behind Lucario, hiding with all hope of the world.

When the large bird landed on the roof, May turned around, looking for any sign of the assassin.

The aura Pokémon jumped off the roof of the giant bird before he helped some creature. It was Ash, but the poison made his job, weakening the assassin very much. However, Ash was still awake, breathing heavily to support his lungs with fresh air.

After he placed his master on the roof, Lucario approached the edge of the house. Down there was May who looked with a concern gaze towards the steel type.

"How's Ash?" She asked slightly excited.

"Why do you care? According to you, we are just killers and it wouldn't be bad if we die." The aura servant ignored the question of the brunette, not seeing any reason to tell about Ash's poisoning.

May was slightly offended by that, but it was right that she said that. There was no reason to deny that, however, she was just uninformed back then.

"I know that I said some things that possible hurt you, however, I didn't understand your intentions …" The brunette tried to explain her situation.

"How interesting, but why do you think you know something now?" The aura Pokémon wasn't convinced with the heart of change that the brunette pretended to have.

"Chris ….. He said that your organization stopped an evil group from taking over the Kanto kingdom …" May just said what Chris told her without much explanation behind it.

The aura Pokémon frowned, not believing that the prisoner knew something like that about the Masyaf' assassins.

"Please, I want to apologize to Ash! How is he?" May pleaded, using her puppy dog eyes on a dog Pokémon. She never tried that before but it was better than nothing.

Lucario thought for some seconds, looking for a reason to send her away.

"He's up here, but …" Lucario hesitated a bit. "He was shot in his shoulder by an arrow and it wouldn't be a big deal, however, the tip of the arrow was filled with some sort of poison. I don't know how it effects him. He assumed that it weakens him so much that he can barely talk …"

This wasn't the respond May was hoping for, although she knew that something had to be wrong.

"Will he survive?" She said with an unsure voice. At the moment, May couldn't understand why she was so afraid that Ash could die.

"I don't know, but I hope that we have some sort of antidote in our house, otherwise I can't make any promises." The aura user finished his statement before he walked to his master.

He lifted him up, helping him to stand. During the walk to the edge, Ash collapsed, falling onto his face. Even Pikachu who was afraid of Eevee emerged from his hiding spot, looking for his master.

No one of them knew how it would end for him, but they wouldn't give up now. Their master was still alive and Lucario knew that Ash could take many blows.

The next big problem for them was to carry Ash to the ground; however, the assassin wasn't able to use the ladder anymore. The two Pokémon couldn't lift Ash down to the ground, but Pidgeot could.

The large bird grabbed Ash on his arms before he started to swing his wings. Carrying his master, the bird flew to the edge of the house before he lowered himself down. Once he was over the edge, Pidgeot saw the brunette who looked very concerned at the unconscious boy.

Ten feet above the ground, Pidgeot lost his grip on his master who fell down. Unfortunately or not, May stood right under him. The assassin landed right on May who fell onto her back with the boy on top of her, but the position they were in was very weird.

For several seconds their lips were locked into a kiss, May didn't mind, and she knew that Ash 'wouldn't' stop it either.

"Everything, alright?" Lucario jumped from the roof, landing right next to the accident.

The brunette pushed Ash slightly away, blushing like crazy that she just kissed a guy. Secretly, she had to admit that it felt better than she imagined all these years.

"Oh … yeah, fortunately I was here to catch him …" The brunette turned away from the aura user, hiding her crimson red face.

"Thank you, I guess." The aura Pokémon didn't know how he should react, but it wasn't time to reignite his feud with the brunette.

The aura Pokémon put the arm of his master around his neck, lifting him up before he carried him into the house. The yellow rodent on top of the roof peeked to the ground, looking for any sign of the evolution Pokémon. For his pleasure, he couldn't stop the brown Pokémon anywhere.

Pikachu let out a long sigh, but suddenly something touched him from behind. Slowly the electro-type turned his head and what he saw sent shivers through his body. There was Eevee, just a few inches away from him and Pikachu looked her right into the eyes.

The yellow rodent looked into the ground, wondering if it was deep enough to kill him immediately would he jump right now.

Before he could decide for this option, he was trapped when Eevee put both of her paws onto Pikachu's tail. Not allowed to hurt an innocent Pokémon, Pikachu just played dead. In an instant, the rodent laid on his back, lowering his breath to a minimum.

Eevee just looked with wide eyes at the 'dead' Pokémon. While Eevee was wondering what was going on, Pikachu opened one of his eyes and peeked to the brown Pokémon. For his displeasure, it was still there.

The young fox just approached the rodent and snuggled into Pikachu's belly, enjoying the feeling. This whole scenario caused Pikachu to sweat heavily and for a second he wished that he would have been hit by that arrow.

The last things you could hear where the snickering noises of a large bird Pokémon who couldn't force himself to help his fellow Pokémon.

**End of chapter fourteen!**

* * *

**This time I didn't use a cliffhanger, although you didn't know what will happen to Ash. It's an interesting chapter that changed the 'relationship' of Ash and May, but there is still no love between them, at least not obvious. **

**I know that it was a weird way to feature Ash' and May' first kiss, however, I couldn't resist to write it. **

**Some things for understanding:**

**- Ash replaced the executioner**

**- Both of his Pokémon were under the robe, hiding there**

**- It was again Ash who was injured? I don't know why but maybe he's cooler with all of the scars**

**- The farmers helped Ash after he saved Chris**

**- Chris knew a lot about the assassins (Is there more behind it?)**

**- Chris won't be chased by the guards, because Ash didn't let him to assist him**

**- Again no Paul? I know I'm mean**

**- Do you want that Pikachu finally snaps? (I mean that he didn't resist Eevee so much)**

**- At least of part of the city is on Ash' side (Third class)**

**- Next chapter will contain some Advanceshipping, but also more action**

**It would be nice if you can write a review where you tell me if you want more Pokémon within the story. (It's hard to include them without letting them take out all of the guards)**

**Please don't flame. (Advanceshipping and minor Ikarishipping)**

**Please review!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Already chapter 15 of Life in the shadows and I have to say that I'm slightly disappointed at the lack of reviews on the last chapter. However, I thank everyone who took a few seconds to tell me what he liked about the last chapter. This story is rated M for violence, blood, murder, bad language and deaths. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon or Assassin's Creed**

**R&R!**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

With Eevee and Pikachu on their own, May and Lucario could carry Ash into the house, supporting him in every single way they knew. Although, it was Lucario who brought the assassin into the hideout, May felt the weak heartbeat of the raven-haired man.

"He's really weak …" The brunette whispered, speaking to herself.

However, the aura Pokémon had good ears and heard what the Maple girl whispered.

"What do you expect? Since we arrived in this town, he was hurt more than five times already. Usually he refuses to recover after that, but this time he won't have another choice. It's bad that our aura tactic doesn't work with poison."

"But you …. Can help him, can you?" The brunette slightly stuttered, fearing that the boy could die before she could apologize to him.

"It depends on different things." The blue creature put Ash on the bed. "First, it depends on his will to survive, although I don't doubt it. Seconds, it depends on the support we can give him."

May's hands were all sweaty when she folded them and everything inside her wanted to leave this scene, jumping out of this bad drama scene. As she thought, May didn't realized that she was right in the way of a worried Lucario who just wanted to search for an antidote for his master. Knowing that she wasn't much of a help, the brunette bite her lips and she realized that she knew to less about life, including treatment of ill people.

"Do you want to help or do you just stand in the way?" Annoyed, Lucario dashed around the girl and he threw several things on the floor, searching for this damn medicine.

"I-I-I …." May couldn't form a whole sentence. It hurt her in her heart that she couldn't save anyone, although she always said that there was nothing more important than helping people.

Despise the stunned girl, Lucario searched now upstairs. It was strange that the former thieves had everything in their hideout, however, it seemed that the only thing the two assassins would need wasn't there.

The girl downstairs just looked at one point on the wall, wondering why it had these cracks. She couldn't explain why they were in such an order, although May could guess that it was broken out.

Several ideas popped into the head of the Last-Maple, but something was for sure. It couldn't harm to look behind this wall, revealing a possible secret. With Lucario out of her eyesight. May walked to the wall and she started to wander her hand over the cracks, noticing that they were very deep.

'I wonder ….' May thought hopefully.

She pushed her finger into the cracks, removing a plate from the wall. With a loud noise, it crashed onto the ground, revealing a deep hole in the wall. Fascinated by this, May gazed into the dark open spot. In there were many bottles, but May didn't know the language on them.

Unable to make a decision; the brown-haired girl called for Lucario. The aura user walked down the stairs, awaiting another senseless conversation with that girl. When he saw her, she held a bottle within her palms, ogling at it with wide eyes.

"What's that?" The aura Pokémon pointed at the glass in May's hand, never seeing it before.

"I found it in there." The brunette pointed to a small space within the wall. "I noticed that the wall seems to be broken at that point, so I removed that plate."

The aura Pokémon took the bottle out of May's hand, looking at the description of it. "Interesting …" He added. "That's Latin, a dead language that's not spoken anymore, however, several scholar are able to read it though."

"Can you read it?" May hoped that these 'old' bottles contained the much-needed antidote for the assassin.

"Partially!" The aura user read the words, trying to remember some things that he learned in Masyaf. " … Antidote … careful use … little dose … aftereffects are …"

"What are the aftereffects?" The brunette approached the aura user who looked strained at the description before he answered.

"I don't know these words …" Lucario admitted in defeat, placing the bottle onto a table. There seemed to be a conflict within Lucario's mind, because his eyes started to glimmer a bit.

"What do you mean with 'you don't know these words'?" May shouted a bit harsh at the more experienced creature. "You can't give Ash something that could have terrible aftereffects! What if it causes him to fall into a coma? Or what if his inner organs were damaged by it?"

The blue Pokémon looked weirdly at the girl, finding her 'if-situations' not very likely, because it was an antidote after all. Medicine should help a patient and didn't make it worse; therefore, it couldn't harm to give Ash this liquid.

"Do you have a better idea?" The aura Pokémon said seriously. "If this antidote can help him, it would be better than letting him die without an attempt to rescue him actually. "

May was taken back by Lucario's seriousness, but she had to admit that the steel-type was right. Maybe the antidote could harm Ash, but without it, he wouldn't survive anyway. The brunette decided to let Lucario decide because it was his master and she couldn't tell someone how he had to deal with a friend's illness.

"Then we should give him the medicine and we'll deal with the aftereffects later on." The orphan gave Lucario an approving gaze, accepting the aura user's decision.

The servant took the bottle again, opening it before he smelled the scent of it. It had a sweet and stinging scent, but medicine never smelled good and it would taste even worse, however, Ash would be the last one who would complain about that.

The smell the turned into a smelly taste and the aura Pokémon had to cover his nose and mouth in order to stay conscious. More and more the 'antidote' seemed to be more fatal than the poison, however, Ash would have to drink that and it didn't matter if Lucario needed his master's decision or not.

Ash was still unconscious and laid inside the small cabin that he had used quiet often during the week. The aura Pokémon approached Ash who breathed weakly.

"It could be possible that I could need your help!" Lucario turned to the brunette, pointing to the assassin. "I don't know how he'll react to that medicine, but I'm sure the taste and smell will make him crazy, therefore I have to ask you if you'll hold him during the process. "

The raven-haired killer wasn't weak, so it would be quiet a test for May to hold him down; however, she knew that Ash wasn't at the top of his powers now.

The brown-haired girl nodded and she placed herself next to the bed of the assassin, first holding him tightly on his arm.

The aura using Pokémon than opened the bottle again before quickly filling the fluid into the mouth of his master. A feeling of nausea overwhelmed May, but the brunette suppressed that desire to throw up and kept holding the arm of Ash.

As soon as the antidote reached Ash's mouth, he started to struggle out of May's hold. It had to taste awful according to the man's grimace, but he needed to go through this. Not long into the process and Ash started to kick and punch in an attempt to compensate the pain and bad taste. Lucario even received a kick in the face that caused him to spit some blood, however, the aura Pokémon wasn't mad at his master, knowing that Ash had to got through hell at the moment.

After some time it became an even bigger challenge for May to hold the 'fighting' man on the bed, therefore she started to lock her arms around his body, pinning the man on the bed. Using all of her strength, May pressed Ash on the mattress and the brunette closed her eyes.

During the time, May noticed that Ash's heartbeat was faster, too fast for every normal circumstance.

"Lucario! His heartbeat is too fast …" The brown-haired orphan exclaimed, speaking louder than Ash's screams.

The aura type touched Ash's chest, measuring the heartbeat of his master and Lucario was shocked how fast it was at the moment. "I can't say it precisely, but his heartbeat is at eight-hundred beats per minute …"

"But …" May gulped, still holding Ash down. "That's ten times so fast than usual … How can his heart hold out this pressure?"

"I don't know, but it shouldn't last any longer!" The aura Pokémon started to transfer some of his own aura to his master, giving him more strength to fight against the poison within his body.

Several minutes within the therapy and Ash started to wring in pain more and more, frightening May when she heard the screams from the boy.

"It's getting worse …." The first tears started to drop down from May's face, fearing that she would witness the death of another person that was close to her. Close? The brunette couldn't explain why she felt the way she felt, but Ash was one of a few people within the city that 'cared' for her.

Lucario started to feel more and more uncomfortable and the aura type was quiet 'happy' that Pikachu and Pidgeot didn't witness the scene.

Slowly but surely Lucario started to doubt the effect of the antidote, but the aura Pokémon didn't loose hope. His master was in worse situation; however, it could be that his luck ended today.

May didn't released her grip on the raven-haired man, waiting for a result of the treatment. To the better or to the worse.

* * *

"Dad? Do you think we shouldn't follow May?" Dawn held the hand of her father, not intending to loose him again.

"I'm sure that she knows what she does." Chris dragged his daughter carefully to their house, meeting with a woman that will be happy to see both of them.

On their way, Dawn thought about the conversation between her dad and her best friend, wondering what it was about. Until now, the blunette didn't thought about it, being too happy about her father's return.

"Dad, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure." Chris replied calmly, knowing that he should be thankful that he could hear his daughter' voice.

"You told May some things about an assassin's guild and I want to know how you know so much about them!" Dawn clang to her father's arm, squeezing it tightly.

Chris wasn't sure if he can tell Dawn his past, but the small blunette was never one of those who would tell it around. Therefore, it wasn't probably not the worst idea to tell his child something about the country and its problems.

"To be honest, Dawn, two years ago I worked with the assassins of this city, however, I wasn't one of those who did the actual assassinations. Moreover, I was a spy and my task was it to get information from fellow assassin's guild across the country. After King Cyrus chased the assassin's of the city, I stopped working for them and I was quiet lucky that they didn't find me."

Dawn listened carefully, impressed that her father worked for an 'organization' that was in contrast to his farmer job now.

"Do you regret that you worked for them?" The blunette asked curiously.

"No, because you see that without them our overall situation hasn't improved much and I'm sure that King Cyrus is the reason for that!" Mr. Berlitz lowered his voice, looking around if someone was eavesdropping on them.

"Didn't you tell me that it's wrong to kill someone?" Dawn had a small conflict within her head.

"In general you're right, but the world consists of more than us peace-loving citizens, Dawn." Chris thought about a way to explain it to his daughter. "Well … sometimes there are people that are bad through and through and they would never listen to a conversation, you know. Their minds tell them that they are doing the right thing, although they harm innocent people and there's no way that they would change their opinion. Therefore, it's sometimes better to end their life for their own good. I know it's much to understand, but if power is abused you can't rely on your 'right' to face them."

Dawn held her head, thinking that it would explode. Dawn wasn't a kid anymore, but she never thought about such complex things like ethic and moral.

"I don't get your point, day, but I'm sure that you know what you are talking about." The blue-haired girl hugged her father who welcomed her embrace.

"Should we go to your mother?" Chris asked nicely.

Dawn nodded, not being able to wait longer for their family reunion.

* * *

Happily for the king, the citizens didn't start a revolution and soon the farmers stopped with their attacks on the guards. Events like the execution shouldn't happen anytime soon again, therefore it didn't help the templar plan.

Cyrus had returned to his main castle, the castle Sant'Angelo. Being on fire, the king removed the dirt that was still on his head after the assassin had shot that flowerpot above his head back then.

Most of the personal was afraid of the bad mood of their king who would kill you if you just look at him the wrong way.

Once the king was back on his throne, he demanded to see one of the lieutenants of his guards. Moving slowly, the highest-ranking guard approached his king, making clear that he showed him the needed respect.

"Could you calm down these idiotic farmers?" Cyrus was pissed off and stared at the guard, who didn't know how the king would react to some disappointing event.

"We have them under control, King Cyrus." The guard bowed down, hoping that this good message would make the king happy enough to deal with the other one.

"Well, then bring the assassin to me! I want to interrogate him!"

The lieutenant sweated heavily, knowing that his king won't be happy with the outcome of their small trap.

"He … he … could …." He stuttered like a small child.

"What is he? Did he die before he arrived here? What a shame, but still good enough." Cyrus rested his head onto his hand, waiting for the approval of his guess.

"He … uh …. Could escape, my king." The guard prepared for the worst and most of the staff stood with one food in the exit, knowing what would happen next.

"WHAT?!" The king wasn't pleased with the news and he would have throw a glass or something else if it were within his reach. However, King Cyrus said from the beginning that he had a plan, therefore he wasn't as mad as he should be.

"I suppose that you hit him with the arrow them?" Cyrus rubbed his palms together, hoping to learn that his plan worked well enough.

"Yes, my lord. Although our stupid archer aimed for the Pokémon, the assassin threw himself into the way." The guard said proudly, being relieved that his king wouldn't get into a rage mode.

"Then we shouldn't be sad. He won't survive this night, therefore you can tell all harbingers that they don't have to search for him anymore. In addition, all of the wanted poster can be thrown away. What a luck that we don't have to pay the bounty anymore!"

Cyrus was satisfied, because the poison that his archer used was fatal and there wasn't an antidote, at least it wasn't produced for over ten years now.

The lieutenant bowed down before he walked off. Every one of the staff sighed in relief and nobody feared the king anymore, not after the most dangerous opponent was eliminated. Some of them however, knew that Cyrus could be very careless at times. Hopefully, it wouldn't effect his decisions.

"That just leave one more …" Cyrus murmured under his breath, not wanting to share this piece of information with his servants.

* * *

On top of Ash' hideout was still some sort of wrestling match between Eevee and Pikachu and the fox was about to win. Several times, Pikachu was pinned onto the ground and Eevee had the time of her life while Pidgeot pretended to see nothing of it.

The rodent pleaded his 'friend' to help him like he did in the forest some days ago, however, the bird yawned and laid down.

The next scene on top of that house wasn't something that the bird wanted to see anyway.

Inside the house, everything was better and Lucario said at one of his tables, looking over to his master who had finally calmed down. It seemed that the worst part was over ad that the assassin was on his way to recovery.

May had still a worried look on her face, not removing her gaze from the bed where Ash was. Although, he had stopped to scream, she could still see that he had problems with breathing.

"How's his heart beat?" The brunette took a seat next to Lucario, feeling that they got along after some misunderstandings.

"It's slower than before, but it's still two-hundred beats per second. Honestly, I don't know how he can survive that." The aura Pokémon couldn't explain how a human could get handle such pain.

"Do you think it will return to a normal state?" The orphan played with her fingers, trying to suppress her feelings right now.

"I don't know, but maybe this fast heartbeat could cause something positive, therefore it couldn't be worse to stay so for quiet some time."

"How should that be positive?" The brunette' eyes widened, not understanding why the aura Pokémon could like the fact that his master was in pain.

"You see that a fast heart beat because your blood to be pumped faster through your veins and that causes a lot of muscle contractions." The aura type explained, but May wasn't very skilled in biological things and so on.

"What are muscle contractions?" The brunette didn't know this word, but something like that wasn't taught during writing and spelling classes.

"Every time you bend your arm or your leg, your muscles have either to contract or to stretch to move your body. The more often you bend your legs and arms the more you strain them. You should know that the human body doesn't build any unnecessary cell tissue unless it needs them. That's the reason you have to do sport on a weekly basis at least to stay fit. Someone who doesn't move at all, has minor muscles and can't move properly."

The aura Pokémon taught the brunette a little lesson in the subject of biology, but this still didn't answered the brunettes question what this had to do with Ash's condition.

"What does that have to do with Ash then?" May couldn't finish the puzzle that Lucario gave her with his explanations.

"It's easy! Through to his fast heartbeat his muscles were contracted even if he's lying in his bed like now. Therefore, his muscles were trained and that means that he'll be stronger when he wakes up. To be honest, he was already very athletic, but after his sleep, he'll be even able to do a lot more things than now. "Lucario didn't realized that May was slightly drooling at his remarks.

"Does that mean that his abs will be …. More …." May couldn't finish his sentence, because she thought about the results.

"If you want to say it this way then yes." The aura Pokémon was a little dense when he didn't recognized May's blush.

It wasn't then until Lucario noticed that he should give his master something to drink, because a higher heart beat caused also a higher temperature and this resulted into an uneven water balance of his master' body.

The girl, instead walked up the stairs, using the room she occupied for several days already. Once she opened the door, she spotted two familiar things on the bed. One of them was a yellow plush toy and the other one was a photo of her family.

Slowly she walked to the bed before she lifted the plush toy. It was hers. It was the little stuff toy from her mother she though had lost, but it was here along the photo. She didn't see them since the fire and she already started to be able to live without them.

"I can't believe that he actually saved these things, too. All the time, I thought he would act without any conscience and now I realize that I was wrong all the way …"

May suppressed some tears, because she knew that these two individuals down there could really help her to get an own life. No longer dependent on her stepfather, May could try to build her own life.

"Chris said that these assassins are good guys …" May thought some seconds, questioning this statement. However, she trusted Chris enough to believe his words and the brunette couldn't tell different.

"I already kissed him …" May blushed at the thought. "However, I haven't seen his face so far. Hopefully, this will be different tomorrow."

The brunette pulled her plush toy to her chest, enjoying the last present she had from her mother. It shouldn't surprise her that she like that boy, after all, he owes a real Pikachu.

The evening passed without any big events. The aura Pokémon made dinner for himself and the brunette while keeping an eye on his master. Nobody know when his master would wake up and the aura Pokémon could just hope that the poison didn't influenced his mind in a bad way.

"I'll go to bed now." May stretched her arms, feeling the tiredness. It would be the first night in years without problem that flew through her mind.

"Okay, but could you look for Pikachu and Eevee? I haven't seen them the whole evening!" The aura Pokémon had no time to look for the small troublemaker.

"Oh, I almost forgot them." May looked to the window, wondering if the two lovebirds were still on the roof. Probably they were just cuddling or so.

Once she was outside the house, May called for her fox pet, but it didn't come to her. Confused, she used the ladder that was near the house and climbed to the roof. There she saw the two Pokémon and Eevee had a strong grip on the electro-type.

Seemingly, asleep, the fox had used his tail and paws to catch her favorite mouse and she wouldn't let her go.

Pikachu on the other hand was still awake and when he saw the brunette, he looked to her with pleading eyes. No secret that the rodent wanted to be away from the fox.

"Oh, you poor little thing …" May felt pity for the small rodent, but she already had an idea how to free Pikachu from her small pet.

Still with her, the small Pikachu plush toy was ideal as a replacement for the yellow Pokémon and May switched the two look-alikes with all care in the world. Thanks to Eevee's good sleep, it was possible to get Pikachu out of the hell and the yellow rodent immediately ran into the house.

"Boys …" May sighed, understanding how Eevee had to feel. She took the fox with the plush toy into her arms and entered the house again. Once she was in her room, May put her fox onto the end of the bed before she made herself ready. Like last night, she had to sleep in her underwear, but the brunette didn't fear the individuals within the house anymore.

Throughout the night, Ash's heartbeat was constantly fast, but his breathing was quiet and it seemed that the assassin would survive.

* * *

The sunbeams didn't reached the room of the assassin, but nevertheless he was the first in the house to wake up. Feeling a stinging pain inside his head, Ash removed his hood and rubbed his forehead. His temperature was still higher than normal.

When Ash sat up, he noticed that he felt slightly bigger. Checking his arms, he realized that his biceps was mentionable larger. Not to large, but still so good like a martial artist.

"That's interesting …" Ash said, admiring the progress he made during his sleep.

He left the sleeping cabin before he noticed Lucario who just woke up. As soon as he saw his master, he smiled and bowed down for the man that beat the poison.

"Hi Lucario, I still fell slightly dizzy …" Ash rubbed his head, noticing that this was the second night in a row where he was knocked out. "I hope that this won't become a habit."

"How are you feeling, master?" The servant ogled at his master' size, noticing the change in is appearance.

"Good, however, I feel like I gained some additional muscles during my sleep." Ash really felt a bit uncomfortable in his shoes.

"That's an aftereffect of the antidote, master! It increased your heartbeat." Lucario smiled, knowing that he was right all the way.

"Really? Someone got luck!"

Ash took off the upper part of his outfit, revealing his well-toned upper body. It looked like if Ash had trained for years, but he was still very agile. The additional jump power could help him during his future missions and to climb houses shouldn't be a problem anymore.

Lucario smiled, being relieved that his master overcame the poison and he became even stronger. When the aura using Pokémon looked to the stairs, he spotted a drooling May. That girl seemed to have never seen a shirtless guy before in her life.

"Hello May!" Lucario ended the trance of May while Ash realized that the girl was here again.

Surprised Ash covered his face with his hands, acting like the creed told him. Nobody should see his face unless they are assassins or allies.

"Oh …. Hello Lucario, I see that Ash is up again." The brunette didn't released her gaze from the assassin who was the center of her attention. At first, May thought that she was the most attractive within this house, at least she was the only female here.

"Yeah, he's up and ready to strike. I wonder about something different though." The aura type had a thoughtful expression.

"Am I allowed to ask?" The brunette knew that she wasn't allowed to know anything about their secret missions.

"It's just the fact that if the king intended to kill Ash. If yes then it could be possible that he thinks that Ash's dead and that could mean that his bounty will vanish, too. It would be just perfect and we could start right from the beginning."

May was smart enough to follow this, but with what should they start from the beginning? They intended to kill Giovanni and May had nothing against it at the moment.

"Are you going to kill people again?" may asked concerned.

"Only those who are on our list and I'm sure that you'll try to prevent us from doing so, right?" Lucario crossed his arms, knowing the anti-bully attitude of the brunette too well.

"I'm not quiet sure …" She murmured. "Maybe I have to know more about you and the things you do."

"You know exactly that we can't tell you anything!" Lucario responded with a concerned voice, warning the brunette that every accomplice was a target, too.

"Lucario!" Ash who dressed up again, much to the dismay of May, looked to his Pokémon. "I think we can at least tell her who our enemies are. It couldn't harm her to know to which organization her stepfather belongs!"

"Could we agree that we call him Giovanni from now on? I don't like it to be connected with him in some way." May shivered at the thought of being called daughter of such an egomaniac.

Ash nodded to Lucario who then started to explain May everything about the templar and why they are so dangerous. In addition, he told her how she could recognize them and how to tell them apart from normal guards.

"This miserable bastard!" May blurted out, shocking the two assassins a bit. After she knew who the man was, she could put the puzzle together. He just use the money of her mother to support the plans of the templar and the Maples were just a tool in his diabolic plan.

"Okay, I'll look for new information!" Ash wanted to go to the outside again, although he wasn't still hundred percents. Like always.

"Master, you should search for the prisoner we rescued yesterday!" The aura Pokémon suggested.

"Why?" ash didn't know why they should ask someone who wasn't smart enough to flee from those guards.

"May here!" The Pokémon pointed to the brunette. "She said that he knew a lot of things about our organization, so I think that he was one of those assassins two years ago or he was linked with them in some other way."

"That's interesting, Lucario. I'll check for him!" Ash wanted to leave, but May stopped him.

"What is?" the assassin had no nerve for those little games the girl liked to play so much.

"You don't know where Chris lives!" She mentioned.

"So what?" Ash had no time to play guessing games. It was finally time to find a way to get to Giovanni and his stupid daughter that liked dresses so much.

"You know, I was very often at his house, so I can lead you to him." May drew some circles on Ash's chest and Lucario thought that the brunette again tried to seduce his master.

Ash thought about it for some seconds, but it couldn't harm to take her with him, at least she had the assassin symbol on her head and he would need it to prove Chris that he was indeed an assassin.

"Okay, but only under one condition!" Ash lifted his finger.

"I'll do everything to come with to his house!" May clasped her hands together, accepting every condition that he would gave her.

"You won't tell them my real name!" The assassin had enough that already many people knew his identity and Lucario was really nice to his master not to choke him.

"Oh … okay." May sighed slightly, not getting the opportunity to introduce Dawn to her boyfriend. One moment, Ash wasn't her girlfriend, so why was she so upset about then?

"Could I let Eevee with your Pikachu? They get along so well." The brunette couldn't need any interruption on her way. This was maybe her possibility to get Ash know better.

"It will just be a visit, so I guess she can stay here." Ash knew that his rodent would rather die than being half a day alone with the fox, but Pikachu should look at it as a form of training.

"Great!" May smiled and dragged Ash out of the house by his hand.

Lucario frowned, not approving the tactic of the girl, but he trusted his master. No way, that he would start something with her unless he wanted to die.

Once again the aura Pokémon was 'home alone' if you let Pikachu, Eevee and Pidgeot out of it.

* * *

After he freed himself from the brunette's grip, Ash walked through the alleys of Petalburg, looking for any sign of wanted poster. For his luck, there wasn't anyone and most of the additional guards that were around the last days weren't there anymore. Did Cyrus really thought that Ash was dead?

"What are you doing?" May asked from his side. The assassin was shocked that someone talked to him from the side while he searched for signs.

"Can't you see that I look if the way is safe?" It was a rhetorical question of Ash, however, it wasn't for May though.

"Do you know how stupid that looks?" The brunette put her hands on her hips, showing her attitude.

"You just don't know how to be discreet!" ash blamed the additional weight that he had to get through the streets.

"I don't want to wait any longer!" the brunette took the assassin by the hand, pulling him through the streets. Although, Ash was much more athletic now, he couldn't defend himself against this energetic girl.

Fortunately, for Ash, there wasn't any single guard on the street and it seemed that the obsession of the citizens with the bounty was vanished. Maybe he could walk through the streets as long as he didn't do anything stupid.

They crossed a large market place that connected two districts with each other and it wasn't the perfect place for Ash, because there was no place to hide if he had to. Like on a clue, a group of guardians walked towards them and Ash started to panic.

"Let go of my hand, May!" Ash demanded.

The brown-haired girl blushed a bit when she heard Ash saying his name, because it sound quiet of cute coming from him. However, she didn't released his grip on his hand and walked towards the guards.

"What are you doing? If they recognize me you'll get problems, too." Ash pulled his hand away.

"Don't worry. I have a plan." The brunette smiled while the guards approached them.

"Oh fine!" Ash said sarcastically. "And what does the girl have in her -"

Ash was cut off when May pressed her lips on his, kissing him passionately. She wrapped her arms around his neck, covering his hood before the guards walked near them. One of them chuckled while another one seemed to be envy.

After they left the square, the duo still stood on the place and the girl didn't stop with her kiss, however, ash knew that the threat was gone. Therefore, he tried to push the brunette away, but she tightened her grip, leaving Ash wondering if she played this or not.

"Uh … mhm hmmm …" Ash tried to explain to the girl that she could stop and eventually she stopped when she needed fresh air. It was a strange method to avoid guards but it worked nevertheless.

"Do you see? It just worked as I said!" The brunette turned away, covering her red face.

"Okay, you get a point, but it wasn't necessary to exaggerate it so much!" Ash wiped with his hand something from his lips and he could swear that May used her tongue, too.

"Hundred times better then starting a senseless fight!" The brunette maybe understood the assassin's intention, at least she thought she would, but she was still against every senseless form of violence.

"Just get me to Chris!" The assassin became impatient like always when someone wasn't fast enough.

As ordered, May leaded the assassin into the 'poor district' of the town, but it still looked better than the 'abandoned district' of Lucario and him. Unlike the huge houses within the city, this place consisted mainly of small houses with thatched roofs.

"That looks like the village where I was born …" Ash said unconsciously, but it caught May's attention.

"So? Where's your home village then?" the brunette waited for this chance to start a conversation with the boy about his past, but she knew that he would block it anyway.

"In Kanto, but I don't want to talk about it!" The assassin fastened his steps, searching for the house.

Cursing the failed attempt to make progress, May followed him before she pointed to the last house at the end of the road. It was near the city wall and it had only a small farmer area, keeping their yield to a minimum.

"Here should live the man which I rescued?" Ash couldn't believe that the king chose an unimportant guy like Chris as his first victim. Maybe it was just a coincidence.

"Let's go inside!"

* * *

Dawn just put some ingredients for a small lunch onto the table when May stormed into the house. As soon as she saw Dawn, she embraced her friend. It wasn't so emotional like their last hug, but they would make sure to hug as often as they could.

"May, I started to get worried!" Dawn exclaimed.

"So? I thought your motto were no need to worry?" May teased her friend.

Shortly thereafter Ash entered the house, making sure that Dawn wouldn't see his face.

"Hey …" Dawn lifted her hand for a greeting, but she was very shy around boys. It was a habit that May had before, but she was able to get rid of it.

Ash just saluted her by pulling slightly on his hood to show his 'happiness' to meet her. Nobody had to know that he just wanted to talk with Chris and he couldn't care less for his wife and daughter.

May knew what Ash wanted. "Dawn, is your father at home?"

"Of course, I'll get him!" Dawn said before she ran into the next room. After a short conversation between father and daughter, Chris entered the small room.

"It's good to see you in one piece." Chris acknowledged. "I didn't have the chance to thank you for my rescue and I'm sure that my daughter wants to thank you as well!"

Chris pushed his daughter slightly to the hooded man who just stared her down. The assassin had a cold and scary attitude but it made him also very attractive for girls. Somehow.

"Thank you very much! I don't know what we have done without you." Dawn shook Ash's hand and she blushed into a shade of red when Ash's skin touched hers.

May noticed the red tone in Dawn's face and she couldn't stand it. She knew that Dawn reacted so towards every boy or man, but this time it was 'her' boy.

"Without me you wouldn't have had actually this problem." Ash admitted that it was his mistake that he made the king so angry.

"Oh …" Dawn responded, but she didn't leave the boy's side. She was eventually pulled away from May who pushed her into Dawn's room to have a small conversation under four eyes.

"I wanted to talk to you, Chris!" Ash came to the point and Chris expected him to ask about his knowledge of the assassins.

"I know, but …" Mr. Berlitz looked at his savior. "You look slightly different."

"It's some aftereffect, but I'm here to learn about your past with the assassins!"

"Okay, I'm sure that I can trust you enough to talk about it. I was a spy for the old assassin's guild, however, they was abolished by Cyrus. Since then, I didn't talk to someone about it."

"Do you have some information about templar?" Ash came up with that topic.

"I just know that they're within this town for quiet some years. They infiltrated several high positions." Chris crunched with his teeth, remembering the different laws since Cyrus was on top.

"Interesting. That means that they weren't fully vanished when we beat them ten years ago. Could you get me some information about their financial backer?"

"I can try, but I don't want to risk too much though. You know, my family and so on."

"I understand, but try your best, because it's hard to deal with all of those unknowns opponents!" The assassin had the information he wanted and maybe he could do something else that he wanted to get of his chest.

He just left without any comment.

* * *

May placed Dawn into the corner of the room before she crossed her arms. In her eyes was a tint of jealousy and she tipped with her toe impatiently onto the ground, awaiting an explanation from Dawn.

"What do you think you do?" She asked in a rather harsh tone.

"I don't know what you are talking about!" Dawn was surprised to see her friend like that.

"You flirted with him!" May had a fire in her eyes that was ready to explode if Dawn said the wrong words.

"So what? It isn't so that I have a nice boy inside my house everyday!" dawn yelled back.

May and Dawn were best friends, but very friendship had its moments were two friends became rivals and the factor between these two was a boy.

"Unfortunately for you, he likes me!" May stated proudly, sticking her nose high into the air.

"How do you know that? One day ago you called him a killer!" Dawn growled back, remembering May of her attitude that she showed some time ago.

"That was before I know that he's a good guy!" May had her arguments.

"Just let him decide by himself who he fins more attractive!" Dawn suggested. "I'm sure I'm the first who will made progress!"

"You're too late, Dawn, because we kissed already!" May shouted before she clasped her hands in front of her face. It wasn't supposed to come out like this.

"Lucky bastard!" Dawn said without thinking.

An uncomfortable silence began that was broke due to laughter by both females. Their own behavior caused them to laugh and that was really something rare.

"You really kissed?" Dawn asked sadly, knowing that her friend wouldn't lie, but she wouldn't mind if she starts with it.

"Yes, but the first time it was an accident and the second time was supposed to be a disguise …" May sighed, admitting that they didn't had a kiss that was approved by both partners.

Dawn looked out of the window and she saw a hooded man who left the house. It would be a weird coincidence if there were multiple hooded figures within the district, there fore it could only be Ash.

"Hey May! Isn't that Ash?" dawn pointed to the vision of the boy and May turned around to see it.

"This sneaky bastard! He'll just let me here, so he won't have to care for me anymore."

The brunette dashed out of the room, passing Chris while waving him goodbye.

* * *

Ash just left the 'poor district' when he heard a voice that sounded like a nail on a blackboard for him. It was just annoying to have her with him, but she was just alone.

"What do you think you are doing?" May shouted.

"Leave you with your friend. Is that a problem?" Ash said casually.

"You can't just leave an innocent girl like me somewhere!" She shouted again.

"Do you accuse me to let you with people that know you a way longer than me?" Ash raised an eyebrow, not daring to think about the reason why the brunette had such an obsession with him.

They discussed the whole time until they reached the abandoned district again. Through to the brunette's whining how you should treat a lady, Ash spotted a small house that he didn't noticed so far.

It was in a far better shape than the rest of the street's, therefore it deserved a closer look from the black-haired man.

On the front door was a small sign that was covered in dust and the assassin started to remove it to be able to see the letters or symbol on it.

It surprised him what he saw. It was the 'assassin symbol'!

**End of chapter!**

* * *

**That was chapter fifteen of Life in the shadows. Someone could call it boring, because it didn't contain violence, but it was still important for the story progress. **

**Some information for understanding: **

**- Eevee has a crush on Pikachu (No surprise?)**

**- May found the antidote inside a wall however, it's not clear if it was from the thieves**

**- I chose Latin, because it's a 'dead' language**

**- The treatment of Ash lasted for hours**

**- May's crush on Ash became stronger**

**- Ash got more muscles through the antidote (Not too much though, just enough to look good)**

**- Who seduces whom now? **

**- Chris was a spy for the old assassin guild**

**- Dawn initially got a crush on Ash too**

**- Ash found a sign of the old assassin's guild**

**That finished the first 15 chapters and I hope that you have a vision of the town. Of course, it's easier if you played the games, but you should nevertheless know what it looks like. **

**Please don't flame (Advanceshipping and minor Ikarishipping)**

**Please review!**


	16. Chapter 16

**It has been some time since I updated the last chapter, but I wanted to reach chapter 15 with my other stories as well. I didn't give up on that story, but this one is also the most difficult one. I write seven-thousand words per chapter and that costs a lot of patience from me. I thank everyone who waited for the next chapter nevertheless. Story is rated M for violence, bad language, blood, murder and death.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon**

**R&R!**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Hidden in the abandoned district of the town was the symbol of the assassins and Ash was more than curious what it indicated at that spot. From the outside, the house looked like an old tavern and nobody would assume that it had to do something with assassination.

The assassin took a few steps to the back to see the whole building before he spotted something that looked like a flagpole, but he was unsure which kind of flag originally was there.

Nevertheless, he had more than one good reason to look through that house and maybe he could find important information that could help him to decrease the power of the templar.

Ash then used his 'eagle eye' to see footsteps that could show him whether the building was abandoned for very long or not.

May became slightly impatient with her 'crush' and the girl grabbed the boy's arm, trying to remove him from his current place. However, the only thing she could do was to disturb the assassin and Ash couldn't concentrate.

"Could you please stop doing that?" Ash exclaimed harshly and the brunette felt offended by his harshness.

"I'm hungry and Lucario won't wait for us!" May pleaded the raven-haired boy.

"He'll wait for us, because I'm his master after all!" Ash clarified once more.

The assassin then concentrated again, maintaining his aura. Once he activated the 'eagle eye' ability, he spotted several footsteps in front of the door that weren't from him, but they were still 'new'. It seemed that the two individuals weren't alone.

"Go!" Ash ordered the brunette and May felt again offended that the assassin talked to her like that.

"I told you that I won't disappear like that!" May put her hands on her hips, refusing to leave the side of the only boy that cared for her in recent memory.

"You'll go if you want to live!" Ash dramatized, but he wasn't sure who the 'owner' of those footsteps was. It could be a thief or a guard that searched for the last hideouts of the old assassin guild.

May gulped, noticing the seriousness in his voice. However, she couldn't leave him without knowing if was going to be all right without her.

"What's with you?" The brunette asked fearfully, not hoping for another suicidal mission from the killer.

"It will be okay, but I want to know who's after my kind!" Ash gently pushed May away before he stepped towards the door again. It was a strange feeling that he cared for the girl that much, but she wasn't guilty and he didn't want her to be included into a fight between two organizations that she didn't know.

"I won't go away!" May protested with all of her might. "You can't do everything on your own!"

"You have to learn a lot of things." Ash sighed. "A man can fight at his best when he doesn't have to worry about someone who could get hurt!"

The Assassin pushed May away once more, still insisting that she should go back to their hideout to meet Lucario. The brown-haired girl felt ashamed, but at the same time, she thought that the raven-haired boy cared for her in some way.

"Should I tell Lucario that he should help you? …" May accepted Ash' decision, but she would still try everything to help him. After he survived the poison, May couldn't believe that hr 'crush' was ready to fight again.

"That won't be necessary, but you can tell him that he can already serve the dinner and that it won't take very long for me!" Ash chuckled slightly, not showing some concern that he had.

The brunette hesitated to nod, but she slowly left, looking several times over her shoulder to make sure that it was the right decision to make. After a minute, she was out of Ash' eyesight and the assassin could become 'more' serious again.

"I should have known that their hideout was in that district as well, but it seemed that they were found nevertheless. That's not a good sign …," Ash thought, wondering if it was a better idea to change his hideout in the future.

However, there was no time to waste and the 'killer' tried to open the door. It didn't surprise him that it was locked up, but it was time to try his newfound power. His physical strength in combination with his aura should be enough to smash this door in hundred of pieces.

"Let's try this …" Ash smirked, maintaining his aura in his right palm.

With a quick punch with his right hand, he hit the door and the assassin could hear that the wood couldn't withstand that form of attack. After several seconds, he heard that the hinges of the doorframe collapsed and the door fell out of her support.

"That was slightly Kung-Fu …." Ash noticed the time difference between his attack and the result, but it worked nevertheless and he could finally enter the 'old' assassin guild.

The inside was completely dark and the multiple time killer hoped that he could find something that could lighten up that room. Unfortunately, there wasn't a single candle there and even if there was, he wouldn't have something to ignite a flame.

Looking up to the side of the ceiling, Ash noticed that there were some sunbeams that find there way into the dark room. It was probably a window and if Ash removed something in front of it, he could finally inspect the whole guild.

There was still the question how he should come up there. The whole room seemed to be like a hall and without a ladder; he wouldn't be able to reach the 'window'.

The assassin approached the 'wall' before he noticed that it was actual a bookshelf. It was perfect and the dark-haired boy started to climb up the wood. It didn't bothered him that he kicked a book out of the shelf and he also ignored the creaky noises.

Once he reached the top, he pushed several books to the side to 'free' the window. At first, he had to shield his eyes, but after they adapted to the sun, he could look down into the room.

It was impressive and everything reminded him of Masyaf, but nothing could beat the time. Dust covered everything, from books to carpets and Ash started to climb down.

When he was half way down, he heard another cracking noise, but this time it was followed by a breaking shelf. Without the wood under his foot, he fell the last few meters to the ground, crashing through a small wooden chair that wasn't build to withstand such an impact.

"Fuck …" Ash rubbed his near-end.

There was no one he could blame for his bad luck and the assassin had to keep his mouth shut at first. It didn't seem so that someone had been here recently, but the footsteps in front of the door were 'fresh'. Probably some curious kids or a beggar.

Being convinced that he was 'alone', Ash looked through different sheets op papers to find something that he could use against the templar. However, Ash wasn't the patient one and normally Lucario read every document for him, therefore he gave up after a few minutes.

In the middle of the small 'hall' was a large table that seemed to have been used for meetings of the old guild, but Ash could just assume.

It was better to take the documents with him, so that the aura Pokémon could read them.

The assassin took the papers and threw a last look at the inside of the old guild. It had to be a strong guild, but to locate the it inside a major city had to be their biggest mistake in his opinion.

"Not so fast!" A voice from out of nowhere shouted.

Ash didn't freak out, but he sighed. It would have been to nice if he left without any incident.

"I assume that you won't tell me who you are?" Ash said with bored tone, knowing that it will end in violence.

"I'm the one who will teach you some respect!" The voice announced and Ash at least knew that it was a male voice; therefore, it shouldn't be that difficult for him to kill him if he had to.

"That won't be necessary, because I wanted to go right now." Ash said casually, trying his best to spare 'innocent' people.

"I can tell you what you intended! You just stole documents that aren't for you eyes!" The voice changed his position within the room with every sentence and it wasn't bright enough to see enough.

"Believe me; I know what those documents are about." Ash argued with the voice.

"I don't think so, but I'll be kind and let you go if you give them back. It shouldn't be a problem for you to decide between your life and those sheets of paper, right?" The voice was slightly darker than Ash', but it still sounded very young though.

"I'm sure that you aren't a guard, right?" Ash said.

"Is your mother the queen?" The voice asked a rhetorical question to show that he wasn't a guard, but it was never a good idea to talk about Ash' mother.

Ash crunched with his teeth, but he tried to stay calm.

"Then we should come to the point!" Ash demanded harshly. "I know that this here is the headquarter of the old assassin guild that was destroyed two years ago. There wasn't any survivor; therefore, I'm sure that those documents will be better in my hands. I dare you to fight me, because you won't be lucky. I'm an assassin from another kingdom, but I'll stop the templar, no matter where they are."

"You say that you are an assassin, but do you have the trademark sign of them?" The voice said, being not convinced with the statement of the 'killer'.

"Do you know about it? Are you a spy of the former guild?" Ash' eyes widened, but it wasn't so unlikely though. At least, he knew that Chris was a former one, too.

"I won't tell you as long as you don't show me that sign!" The voice became harsh again, feeling like that he was fooled by that boy.

Ash doomed himself that he sent May away, because she wore that sign still as a bandana and without it he couldn't proof that he was one from the guild. Unfortunately, Ash also remembered that everyone was forced to kill a look-alike assassin if he didn't have that trademark sign with them.

"I'm sorry, but I don't have that sign with me right now, but I'm sure that I can proof it otherwise, even if I have to kill you." Ash said without any fear. It wasn't so that he wanted to kill a spy of the former guild, but he would fight for the things that he believed in.

"No sign, huh? Either you are a total mess or you are an impostor. However, I have a good idea to see if you are what you are claim to be." The darker voice laughed devilish.

The Kanto-assassin raised an eyebrow, not getting the point of his foe' humor.

"There wasn't any guard or impostor that could stand two minutes against me; therefore I decide that you have to fight for your life!" The voice declared and Ash felt that the cause of the voice came closer during the conversation.

"Fine with me!" Ash said without fear. "However, what if I kill you before the two minutes are over?"

This time Ash laughed aloud, hoping that he owned that voice.

"You shouldn't worry about my well-being!" The voice announced before Ash sensed that something came closer behind his back.

Drawing his sword, Ash turned around to fight of the first sword cut that the unknown threw at him. Ash had to admit that there was a lot of power behind that cut, but he wasn't weak either. In his opinion, he was even stronger than his foe, thanks to the little poison from yesterday.

"Is that all you got?" Ash teased the other one.

Ash could see that this figure wore pure black clothes that seemed to be similar to his, but the assassin couldn't believe that this person could actual be something that he thought he could be.

Not having much time to make up his mind, Ash had to parry another sword cut and his opponent knew what he did. However, two minutes shouldn't be too much to survive and Ash would try to spare this innocent soul in front of him.

The dark figure used the remaining shadows of the hall to his full extend and Ash had to rely on his aura to see the next attacks.

It was ridiculous that his foe believed that he would loose against someone who could only use a sword, but Ash then sensed something from out of the shadows and it was fast, too fast.

Using his reflexes, Ash tried to dodge the oncoming attack, but he was nevertheless hit on his cheek. A deep cut appeared at the same place where hunter J hit him with her whip a few days ago. It hurt, but it wouldn't prevent him to take some revenge. However, something made Ash unsure; because he didn't hear that his foe took a bow neither that, he put an arrow on the bowstring.

"Are you surprised?" The dark voice asked.

"A bit, but I won't go down, because of something like an arrow!" Ash claimed, ignoring some pain and the blood that went down his cheek again.

"That wasn't an arrow!" The voice laughed. "It was a bolt and it can pierce any armor unlike a bow."

Ash listened with one ear and he remembered something that Tracey Da Vinci told him about the old guild. The former members of it wore black cloaks and used a crossbow instead of a bow. There was no other possibility and Ash knew that his foe had to be an assassin as well.

"It's nice to meet a fellow assassin in a city like that." Ash claimed.

"Oh, you finally got it, but you should correct yourself, because I'm an assassin and you still have to proof yourself! There's still a whole minute where I can teach you a lesson!" The black assassin announced.

"With that knowledge, I can use my full power, but don't worry, I won't kill you." Ash withdrew his sword and prepared to use some of his newfound strength. "What do you think about a little close combat battle?"

"You are really desperate, aren't you? I was the number one close combat fighter in my guild, but I'll grant you that wish." The dark figure threw his sword and crossbow to the decide.

Ash did the same and clenched his fists and he looked forward to use his additional muscles for a fight like that. "Oh, before I forget it to tell you: I'm a master assassin!"

With those words, Ash dashed to the black assassin, planning a feint.

The unknown threw a fist at him, but Ash dodged that attack before he kneeled down. From that position, he performed a spinning kick to hit his opponent's leg, but the black assassin easily jumped, preventing a direct hit.

The dark person then tried to drop a knee on his foe, but Ash grabbed his leg with two hands before he pulled him into the direction of the bookshelf. Having two experienced fighter against each other, it was clear that it wouldn't be over anytime soon.

The dark boy placed both of his hands on Ash' shoulder before he jumped with his free leg to hit Ash with a powerful knee to his chin. It was a powerful attack, but the raven-haired boy wasn't down yet.

It was time to return the 'favor' and Ash intended the whole time to use his new leg strength. Running towards his foe, Ash jumped with both of his legs from the ground before he performed a dropkick on the dark assassin. It hit full on and Ash used the momentum to do a full flip backwards to land on his feet in a stylish way.

It was now one-to-one and both fighters got a liking to the combat.

"You put too much into the looks of your moves, you know?" The dark assassin said.

"Why shouldn't I have a bit fun while squashing you?" Ash countered, teasing his opponent more and more with his attitude. However, Ash' arrogance was only façade and the Kanto native knew that he had to be careful.

Their next encounter consisted of a series of punches that the other one dodged until Ash parried one of his foe' punches before he hit an elbow to the side of his head. It became a street fight and the target for both assassins was the skull of the other one.

"You'll pay for that!" The dark killer threatened.

This time it was the Hoenn-assassin who ran towards the invader and he rammed his shoulder with full force into Ash' ribcage, pushing both of them into the bookshelf. Unfortunately, the wood couldn't withstand the impact and it broke down. Both assassin were buried by books and wood.

Ash was the first one who reappeared from the chaos and he wasn't finished with that guy. The other assassin had the same on his mind and no one wanted to stop right now, although the two minutes were already over.

At the moment they fight for the right to be called the best and Ash lifted his leg to perform a kick to the side of his foe' head, but the dark assassin caught it without much problems. However, it wasn't so that Ash hadn't a Plan B. Jumping on one leg, the raven-haired boy jumped with his single leg to hit the dark killer on the other side of his head to knock him to the ground.

The second assassin shook his head to get a clear vision again before tackled the black-haired boy onto the top of the table. Fighting on the wood, Ash parried another few punches before the 'dark' guy poked him into his eyes. That was a cheap trick, but Ash didn't need his eyes to see his opponent.

The black killer still smirked at his cheap trick when he was suddenly caught by the throat by Ash' right hand. Squeezing his neck, Ash smiled in his own way before he lifted his foe up in the air with a single arm.

Intending to drop that guy through the table, Ash didn't noticed that the black assassin had a last idea. Before he was dropped onto the wood, the unknown boy grabbed the head of Ash with his right arm, using his own fall to drive Ash's head into the wood as well.

The combined weight of both assassin broke the table and a giant cloud of dust enveloped the scene.

* * *

At first, May walked slowly back to the hideout, but she looked several times over her shoulder in hope that Ash would regret his decision somehow. However, after some minutes the suspense was killing her and the brunette ran to Ash' hideout, needing Lucario to know if Ash knew what he did.

Crossing the large plaza in front of the familiar house, May spotted the large bird on the top of the house.

She almost fell with the door into the house, but the brunette immediately searched for the 'dog' - like Pokémon. He wasn't in the living room, in the 'bathroom', in the bedroom and not in the kitchen.

"Where's he?" May wondered aloud.

"Where's who?" Another voice said behind May's back and the brunette shrieked and she feared that probably some stranger was with her in that house.

Turning around, she pressed her back against the nearest wall, but for her surprise, the 'unknown' person was just Dawn.

"Dawn! You almost scared me to death!" May yelled, clutching her heart that almost stopped to beat.

"Sorry, that I asked a question …" Dawn was slightly insulted by May.

"Wait a minute!" May just realized that Dawn wasn't supposed to be here at all. "What are you doing here, Dawn? You're not a allowed to know this place. You're not allowed to know anything about this whole scene!"

"Calm down, May!" Dawn insisted that her brunette friend should take some deep breaths. "What's the big deal about this place here anyway? I can't believe that you decided to live here in that abandoned district instead in my family's house!"

"It's nice for me and I owe Ash my life after he saved me. There's no way that I would leave him without returning the favor somehow." May stated. In her opinion, it was bad that her blue-haired friend was here, because she would destroy the tie that she could spend with Ash.

"You want him only for yourself, May! Admit it!" Dawn looked at her best friend with stern eyes.

"That's not true!" May yelled, blushing deeply. "He only allowed me to stay at his hideout; therefore I have to ask you to leave the place!"

"I don't think so May! I didn't follow you to this place to leave again! Ash is the first male friend that we two have and I won't stay away from him!" Dawn demanded harshly.

"He never said that you are his friend, Dawn!" May shouted, claiming the Kanto native for herself. "You still have your parents you can rely on, but Ash is the only one that I know besides Giovanni and you."

"When he's so important to you, why don't you marry him?" Dawn said in a mocking tone.

"Probably I will do that!" May countered.

There was an awkward silence between the two friends and both of them needed some moments to realize what they were talking about. The two best friends really argued over a boy that didn't even want to be together with one of them.

After some seconds, the two girls busted out into a fit of laughter and the two of them hugged each other to remind each other that there was no reason to destroy their friendship.

"I'm sorry, Dawn. Of course, you can visit me from time to time, but I don't know how the other ones will react to that …." May said with an unsure tone, looking over Dawn' shoulder to see if someone was eavesdropping on them.

"No need to worry, May! Nobody will learn from it." Dawn said with a happy voice.

"I don't think so!" A voice from upstairs said with a stern tone. Both girls looked to the individual and May gulped when she spotted Lucario on top of the stairs. She hadn't found him, but the aura Pokémon found her instead.

"Oh … Hello, Lucario …" May said sheepishly. "I have the honor to introduce my friend Dawn to you!"

May nudged Dawn a bit to signal that she should be polite to that Pokémon. Getting the point, Dawn slightly bowed down to the servant of May' crush before she looked more precise at him. She remembered that Pokémon from somewhere, but she couldn't tell where she met that blue Pokémon.

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Dog." Dawn wasn't the one who could remember a name with more than four letters. In her opinion, she had a dog Pokémon in front of her, but the 'host' was everything, but pleased with her description.

"Where's Ash?" Lucario asked, noticing that his master was nowhere.

May finally realized that she wanted to tell the aura Pokémon from Ash' intentions and that the assassin could be in trouble.

"I don't know why he sent me away, but he said that it would be to dangerous for me. We were on our way back when he spotted an old house before he cleaned the door to spot a sign that was similar to that on my bandana." May pointed to the triangle on her cloth. "He then said something about footsteps and that I should go if I want to live. I really start to get worried, Lucario …."

The aura Pokémon knew that his master wasn't the patient one and it was no surprise that the assassin didn't get his servant before he discovered that house on his own.

"A symbol like that on that cloth? It seems that Ash found the headquarter of the old assassin guild …" The aura-user thought for some seconds. "It's typical for him to make such things on his own. We shouldn't worry too much …"

"What? Didn't you hear that I said that he could be in danger!" May yelled at her host, fearing for the life of Ash.

"If you have to fear, you should fear for the life of the one who has to face my master." Lucario explained, believing in his master' ability.

"Aren't you afraid that your master couldn't come home one day?" May asked curiously. "I'm afraid and I know him only for a few days …"

"That's nothing new for a job where you have to risk your own life for the mission. Of course, I would prefer to see him alive and I would do everything to save him, but you can't live in fear, young girl." Lucario explained their life to the inexperienced female.

"Why did he decide for such a live them?" Dawn asked with a casual voice, not knowing much about the whole topic.

The aura Pokémon didn't like the idea to tell those girls about their credo, but they would probably stop asking if he told them some things.

"You don't decide for such a life, because you always have no other choice. Some of us joined the organization as children and they don't know everything else. What should they do? Regret the only life that they know? However, there are also some cases where a member of our organization joined it later in his life, because of a traumatic experience. With our credo, he can search for answers or rebuild his life."

"How did Ash join?" May asked carefully, knowing that they wouldn't tell them about it.

"It's not my business to tell you about it, but you can be sure that my master wouldn't be alive if 'his' master hadn't rescued him." The aura-user responded, only telling them a few information.

May lowered her head, knowing that it wasn't polite to talk about that without Ash' permission though.

"What should we do now? Wait until he comes back?" May asked.

"That's it. Don't forget that Ash is also able to use his aura for his advantage, although he isn't proud of it." The aura Pokémon explained.

"I don't get all of this assassin and aura stuff!" Dawn jumped between the two individuals, demanding that they would let her know something about that topic.

"Then you shouldn't break your pretty head by thinking about it." Lucario suggested and walked into the kitchen again.

Both girls were left behind in the 'living room'.

* * *

The dust cloud faded and revealed a complete mess that consisted of broken wood, splinters and other utensils. Everybody would assume that it was a barroom brawl between two drunken guests, however, it had been a fight between two experienced killers.

Ash crawled out of the mess before he dropped onto his back, touching his forehead. When he removed his hand again, he noticed that it was covered in blood. The impact on the table caused a gigantic laceration on his head.

The other competitor panted heavily, showing an expression of pain on his face.

"Should we announce it a draw?" Ash asked, not feeling that he could fight any longer.

"Okay, but next time I'll crush you!" The dark assassin predicted.

"At least, I survived the two minutes, therefore I have to be an assassin after all." The raven-haired trainer chuckled.

"I hope so. If every guardian is a fighter like you, then our guild would have been destroyed ten years earlier …" The black assassin admitted.

"It's a shame that there aren't more of you." Ash stated. "It's really difficult to do all the mission on your own. How does it come that you are still alive?"

"It's just a stupid coincidence that they didn't find me, but it wouldn't make a difference if I had been dead." The last assassin of Petalburg said.

"You shouldn't throw your pride away like that! I'm Ash by the way." The assassin said his name, ignoring the credo for once, however, the other man was an assassin as well.

"I didn't know that they changed the credo during the two years …" The dark assassin said. "It doesn't mater, so I'm Paul."

Both assassins had introduced them to each other and probably they could change something in that town.

"I'm sorry for your table and bookshelf …" Ash knew that he damaged many things during their 'small' fight. The white assassin tried to move, but he heard that some of his bones cracked slightly and it seemed that Ash needed a bit longer until he could stand up again.

"Nobody needed it anymore and probably this whole house would eventually burn down if some lightning struck it." Paul wasn't mad that so much things were broken.

"Are you interested to work with me?" Ash said casually.

"What can two lonely assassins can do against a whole templar organization?" The purple haired killer shook his head, implying that it wasn't a good or useful idea. Two years ago, his whole guild was eliminated and the influence of the templar had doubled since them.

"I can do it on my own, too, but I think that your talent would be wasted if you don't fight them with me." Ash explained, looking at the ceiling.

"Do you even know how much power they have?" Paul questioned Ash' intentions.

"Can it be that you lived under a rock the last few days? I already killed a few templar, although I screwed up against my latest victim …" Ash explained his accomplishments.

"Then you are more pathetic than me …" Paul smirked. "It's senseless to fight them …"

"Then I don't know why you are still an assassin, although you could live a normal life …" Ash said.

"What is a normal life if you only know one?" Paul questioned.

"Then I'll do it on my own! It doesn't matter anyway." Ash sat up, ignoring the cracking noises and the blood. "At least, you could give me those papers, because I'm sure that I can need them more than you. You can congratulate on my victory when I kill King Cyrus."

"Wish you fun …" Paul just laid between the wood.

* * *

The white assassin took all of the papers before he left this old guild. If he needed something else, he could always come back. Fortunately, it wasn't very late and the assassin started his way back to his hideout. There was nothing that he would need more right now then a nice bath, washing away all the dust and painful memories from the last few days.

Ash had to be careful that no blood dropped on the papers between his arms.

"I didn't imagine that I could lift this guy up with one arm …" Ash admired his strength, but it was useful for many things.

Suddenly Ash started to chuckled a bit, because he again couldn't walk into a house without getting some new cuts on his face. A nice long cut from Paul' crossbow decorated his left cheek while he had a large cut on his forehead as well.

It seemed that he would need his hood to cover his wounds as well. The aura Pokémon at his hideout would kill him if he learn from his arrogance during the fight, but Ash intended to distract the aura Pokémon with some of those papers that he could get.

The assassin reached the plaza in front of his mouth and he hoped that it would rain tonight. On his whole way from the guild to his hideout were drops of blood and anybody could follow them to the old thieve guild.

"Hey-ho Pidgeot!" The assassin saluted his bird Pokémon and the normal-type was happy to see his master in one piece again.

Ash entered 'his' house and he waited for some individuals, however, the first person that encountered him was a blue-haired girl. Chris' daughter had found their hideout as well and Ash doubted that it was a hideout anymore.

"Hello, Ash." Dawn said with a happy tone. The assassin already stopped to be annoyed that everyone called him by his name. "I hope that you don't mind that I eat dinner with you guys. Mr. Dog allowed me to ask you for permission."

"Mr. Dog?" Ash said with some disbelief.

"She means Lucario, Ash, but you shouldn't ….. ASH!" May walked down the stairs when she noticed the amount of blood on Ash' forehead. It was a shock for her that the boy again injured himself.

The brunette girl immediately jumped down the stairs before she pushed Dawn away to examine Ash' forehead. However, she could just look at the wound for a few seconds before she lost herself again in his brown eyes.

Several seconds passed before Ash smiled weakly and he walked past May to find Mr. Dog.

"You should really do something against your obsession with him, May." Dawn exclaimed, not liking that her best friend had fallen so hard for the boy.

The assassin walked into the kitchen to meet his trusty servant and the aura Pokémon already awaited his master. Seeing the blood, Lucario knew that Ash couldn't leave a location without setting his mark.

"It seemed that you find more than you desired to, master." Lucario acknowledged.

"Let's say that it was a lot of fun, but I got some important documents that could help us against those templar." Ash put the papers onto a desk near the window.

"I'll read them later, master, but at first, I should clean your wounds before we eat for dinner." The aura Pokémon would have all time of the world to read those documents, but it was more important to care for the guests and his master.

* * *

A few minutes later, all four individuals sat at the table and even Dawn was surprised that Mr. Dog could cook. Everyone of them ate very much, but no one could defeat Ash or May and the aura Pokémon had to get several extra portions for the duo.

"That's amazing, Mr. Dog, but could you tell me how you got the house and all the food." Dawn asked curiously.

Ash had still much food within his mouth and he looked to Lucario with wide eyes, not knowing if it was a good idea to tell Dawn about those thieves.

"I'm sure that they just use an empty house, Dawn." May said casually, assuming that even that fact had a dark history. "Shouldn't you be more thankful for them that they rescued your father?"

"Of course … I'm thankful …" Dawn was slightly embarrassed by her friend. "I didn't want to be rude, but it's just so good for someone who kills all the time …"

Dawn suddenly looked at her food, making a grimace.

"That's nothing that you wouldn't eat, girl." Lucario said. "We are probably assassin, but we aren't cannibals."

Dawn was relieved, but it was nevertheless very confusing where they got all the food from.

Despite this little 'incident', it was a normal dinner and everybody was well fed after the dozen of plates, even May and Ash.

Slowly, but surely it became dark outside and Dawn needed to head home, but Ash knew that it wasn't a good idea to send her home on her own. This girl was maybe seventeen years old, but this district was far to dangerous to be alone unless you are Ash.

"Lucario, you'll accompany Dawn to her house and I'm convinced that May should go, too." Ash clarified that the brown-haired girl should stay with her friend.

"What? No!" May protested, not seeing a reason to leave.

"There's no 'No'. There's always the possibility that the guards find our hideout and if they do, you shouldn't be at that house. It's better for you." Ash said, meaning every word he said.

"I don't care if they think that I'm one of you!" May insisted that she would stay with her saviors. There was no way that she would leave another one that became important to her.

Ash ignored the girl completely and motioned to Lucario to take her with him. Moreover, he took the sleeping Eevee from the ground before he handed it to Dawn, knowing that the blue-haired girl wouldn't let her escape. The yellow rodent upstairs would thank him for that break.

The brunette bite on her lips, but she would do as he wanted her to do. Dawn liked the fact that she could spend some more time with her friends and she always hoped that the brown-haired girl could live with her family, almost like a sister.

The group walked across the plaza and Ash closed the door again.

Being finally on his own, Ash stepped into the bathroom where he put some firewood into a small oven. On top of it, he placed a large bucket full of water before he filled a big, iron bathtub with a lot of cold water. In combination with the boiling waiter from the oven, he should get a nice temperature for the whole tube.

The assassin started to drop some of his armor and clothes to the ground, freeing himself from that additional weight. At first, he removed his two hidden blades from his forearms before he dropped the light, leather chest armor to the ground. Taking a huge, deep breath, Ash enjoyed the moment of peace. Ash was lazy when he had to get his boots out and the assassin just kicked them somewhere into the corner of the 'bathroom'.

The raven-haired killer then removed his cloak and his hood, but not before he was sure that, he was alone. It was rare that Ash showed his whole face and he only removed the hood when he had to bath or during the sleep.

Prior to his Hoenn mission, Ash had not a single scar on his face, but it changed. The scar across his right eye wasn't healed yet and the new scar on his left cheek reminded him of two different opponents.

Normally Ash kept his hair short and messy, but sometimes his hair on the back of his neck was slightly longer. However, it wasn't so that the assassin had to impress someone with his face and Ash looked to the oven.

The water started to boil before Ash put it into the tube, too. The hot steam touched his face and the assassin removed his trousers and stepped into the bathtub. Sinking slowly into the nice and warm water, Ash forgot for one moment all of his worries and problems.

* * *

The group of Lucario, Dawn and May walked through the alleys, but the brunette looked more than once over her shoulder. Something in her heart told her that she shouldn't go and that she should stay with him.

Dawn held Eevee in her arms and she developed a liking to Mr. Dog, however, she wouldn't mind to stay a few days at home before she would visit them again.

May slowed down without being noticed by the other ones of her group. She couldn't just leave him without doing something first. Not making any noise, May turned around and dashed back to the hideout of the assassins.

This time it didn't matter to her what Ash would say to her, because it wasn't his decision what she wanted to do.

She entered the house again, but she didn't meet Ash immediately. She thought that it wasn't a good idea to yell for him and the brunette quietly walked through the house until she noticed some heat that came out of the bathroom.

May opened the door like an assassin, not making any noise before she peeked through the crack of the door.

For the first time she saw Ash without his trademark hood and she immediately fell in love with his messy, black hair. It seemed that the assassin relaxed and that he wasn't aware that another one was within the house.

She opened the door completely and sneaked into the bathroom, closing it as quietly as she had opened it.

The assassin had his eyes closed with his head being bent to the back, so it laid on the edge of the bathtub. It was the perfect opportunity for the brown-haired girl and she approached the bathing boy, hoping that he wouldn't notice her.

Soon she stood right behind him, looking down onto his face. It had some scars, but she knew that Ash was still handsome the way he was.

Smiling, she lowered her head and she grabbed his head with both of her hands before she kissed him on his lips.

**End of chapter!**

* * *

**That was the new chapter and I need some practice before I have my routine again. Luckily, this fic is rated M and I could use the bathroom scene. **

**Warning: It won't develop into a lemon, because I'm sure that I don't know how to write something like that. Moreover, I'm convinced that many readers of that story are under the age of the rating. **

**Some information about the chapter:**

**- May's bandana is the sign of the assassins**

**- Paul is a survivor of the old assassin guild (Surprised?)**

**- During their fighting scene I used some moves from professional wrestling (Don't doom me!)**

**- Paul and Ash aren't friends (yet), but they have mutual respect for each other**

**- Paul isn't convinced that Ash can do something against the templar**

**- Dawn followed May the whole time**

**- Not much interaction between Pikachu and Eevee (sorry)**

**- The next big plot of that story would contain a little journey, but let's see if the readers like it so far**

**- At the moment the story is more of a romance than an adventure**

**There are some questions that you could have and I'm sure that a lot of them concern Paul. Let's say that this is another chapter.**

**Please don't flame! (Advanceshipping and slight Ikarishipping)**

**Please review or not!**


	17. Chapter 17

**It's time for another chapter of 'Life in the shadows' and I think that the story needs some new interesting story twists, therefore I thought about something nice for this chapter and I hope that you'll like it that way. Once again, I can't upload that often therefore I'll update a new chapter after ten reviews, because I'm sure it will take some time for it. Like always, story is rated M for blood, violence, bad language, death, murder and some sexual content. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon or Assassin's Creed**

**R&R!**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

It had been a strange situation since May entered the bathroom and the brunette didn't even know why she did it in the first place, but the opportunity was there and she needed to know whether she had a chance or not.

May squealed within her mind, because she kissed the boy in a reversed way that she knew from some romance novels that she read during her earlier teenage years. Once their lips connected, both teens didn't feel the urge to withdraw from their current position and May held Ash's face with her hands in place.

The female orphan's heart made a jump when she realized that Ash didn't move away. On the one hand, she didn't know if it was desperate from her to do that, but on the other hand, she had to wait so long for some 'love'.

It turned into an intense moment and both teens realized that it would become more intimate when May started to use her tongue to explore Ash's mouth. She didn't know why she learned something like that, but it was almost like a reflex and it seemed to be so right at the moment.

Meeting Ash' tongue within Ash' mouth, May noticed that the boy was ready to take it to the next level and she was curios what would come next. She always dreamed of a kiss like this, therefore she didn't plan future steps after that.

Ash didn't know why he didn't withdraw from this situation, however, he was sure that an act like this that was so emotional couldn't be bad, could it? His whole life circled around assassination, but right now, it felt more like life.

Nevertheless, something within his mind warned him to continue and that he would eventually hurt the girl and his organization.

Becoming even more curios, May's hands went down to Ash's chest and she started to massage this area. It was a logical result in her mind and she wanted this moment to be as memorable as possible, even if she would lose her virginity this day.

After the moment of surprise was over, Ash got more and more doubts about this interaction with a girl that he barely knew. There were hundreds of questions within his head and he didn't even open his eyes, because he was too scared from the reality.

Nevertheless, he couldn't deny that it was something that his body called for over the years, but he always refused to give in to those feelings.

Moreover, it was a bit embarrassing for Ash who was bathing when May entered the room and he wasn't the type of person who would do everything for female attendance.

Unfortunately, May's hormones got the best of her and her hands went down over Ash's chest before they vanished under the water. It was a bit to intimate for Ash and the assassin opened his eyes before he spotted May's neck. One part of him wanted to continue, but the other part wanted to prevent a disaster.

Ash lifted his hands to push May's face gently away from his. The last thing he wanted to be was to be rude, but he knew what the best was for the two of them and he hoped that the girl wouldn't lose hope for her life.

May's eyes widened when she noticed that Ash stopped the kiss and an unsure gaze appeared in her eyes as well. There were so many things that she feared in that moment and she could swear that she could read the whole story in Ash's eyes.

Without words, Ash sat up in the bathtub and took a towel from the side. Turning his head slightly to the back, the assassin realized that it hit the brunette hard that he 'rejected' her in that way. Moreover, he knew that too many words wouldn't bring anything.

Ash stood up before he quickly wrapped the towel around his waist before he stepped out of the bathtub, avoiding the sad face of the brown-haired girl.

After he took his clothes, Ash walked to the door of the room before he turned around. There was this weird feeling again, a feeling that felt pity for the girl and that prevented him to leave without a word. At least, he had to give some kind of reason to that girl.

Some hair covered his right eye and he didn't know exactly how to say it. During the years, Ash had killed so many people, he ended so many lives and he never regretted it so far, but this time it seemed that he would 'hurt' something that wasn't easy to forget.

"I'm sorry … It's just a shadow that you love … I can't give you what you search for …"

Ash knew that he wasn't allowed to return her feelings and he hoped that she would try to understand that there wasn't a future for the two of them.

Without a second look, Ash left the bathroom and he felt so bad right now. That girl had nothing in her life anymore and once she found someone that she trusted, it was someone who couldn't give her the feeling of being loved.

The brown-haired orphan still stood next to the bathtub and she bit on her lip when some tears ran down her cheeks. Once she realized that she couldn't just wipe those feelings away, May fell to her knees and sobbed into her hand. She had so much hope, but like always, her hopes were destroyed by the cruel destiny that surrounded her.

It wasn't fair. It just wasn't fair and May didn't want to accept that she couldn't spend time with her savior. Her heart hurt and she hated herself already for pushing things too fast. Could it be that she scared Ash away with her actions? Was it possible that he wasn't used to something like that, despite being older than her?

Again, she cried and she hoped that she didn't commit the biggest mistake of her life.

Exactly when everything seemed to get worse, May heard that something or someone sneaked into the bathroom.

In this moment of sadness, despair and guilt, May hoped that it would be the one person she needed the most right now. She needed Ash and she wanted to apologize for her actions. If she explained the things to him, it could be a small light of hope in the dark world that was her life.

With her head still being lowered down, May only heard the noise of little steps of paws and she knew that it couldn't be Ash.

In the next moment, it was Pikachu who stood in front of her and the little rodent tilted his head. Being 'attracted' by her sobbing, the mouse felt more pity for the girl than its master and he didn't like it that the lonely girl had to take a setback after setback.

She remembered that she always cuddled with her Pikachu plush toy when she was sad, but it should work with a real Pikachu, too. Lifting him from the crowd, May started to press her cheeks against Pikachu's cheek and she hoped once more that there was still some hope. Probably she didn't know enough about Ash's life to know how he felt.

When she sat on the ground with the Pokémon in her arms, she realized that she wanted too much too early.

* * *

On the way back to Dawn's house, Lucario and the rest of the group reached the border to the 'poor district' and the aura Pokémon wanted to tell the group that they left the dangerous 'zone'. Unfortunately, their group missed a member and the aura user noticed that the brunette wasn't there anymore.

"Where's May?" Lucario asked curiously.

"Wait! What?" Dawn turned around with Eevee in her arms and she also noticed it only now that her best friend wasn't here anymore.

"I can't believe that this girl doesn't listen to anyone! It's dangerous to walk back on her own and master Ash won't be happy to see that she disrespects his orders." Lucario said, facepalming and he knew that he should have watched the brown-haired girl more.

"We have to find her!" Dawn exclaimed, fearing for her friend's safety.

"Wait!" Lucario held her back with his palm. "I'll just use my aura to see where she is …"

Fortunately, there weren't many 'auras' within the district, therefore Lucario soon spotted three energies within his hideout. One of them belonged to his master, another one to Pikachu and the last one was that girl that did what she wanted.

At least she wasn't somewhere in danger, but the aura Pokémon wondered how his master reacted to this unwelcome visit. In the worst case, Ash was bathing and the brunette saw his face. Like Ash, Lucario didn't intend to care for May for years, because there mission would end within a few weeks or they would die.

"Everything's alright. She's back at our hideout." The aura user explained, stopping with his aura use.

"Will we go back?" Dawn asked carefully. "I'm quite sure that she'll stay there, because she likes your master very, very much."

"No, we won't go back! After all, it seemed that it won't be so easy to convince her to stay with your family, therefore I'll take you to your house before I meet my master again. " Lucario acknowledged before he led the blue-haired girl to her house, or rather she led him to her house.

The two crossed the 'poor' district before they eventually arrived at the old Berlitz house where it was goodbye for the two of them. Of course, it wasn't very emotional, because Dawn and Lucario only knew each other for a few hours.

"Don't forget that you shouldn't tell anyone about this!" The aura Pokémon reminded Dawn once more to be silent when it came to this topic.

"Okay, but before you go, could you tell me why you are in this city?" Dawn asked curiously.

"You shouldn't really know about that, but be sure that we won't harm any of you." The aura user replied, fearing that too many people already knew about this whole templar conspiracy.

The dog-like Pokémon soon left again and he walked towards his house.

"Lucario!" Dawn shouted, using his 'real' name for the first time. "Would it be bad when your master would fall in love with May?"

The aura Pokémon stopped and turned his head before he gave the blue-haired Berlitz-daughter the answer. Including everything from the mission and the creed, Lucario had to answer with honesty, although he would prefer that it could be otherwise.

"It would be the worst case scenario right now …"

* * *

Putting his boots back on, Ash finally fully dressed up before he wiped some drops of water from his face. It had been quiet, very quiet since he left the bathroom, but every situation would start like that when you left someone behind.

It was a weird feeling for the assassin, because he felt uncomfortable within his own house, although he shouldn't care at all. Nobody could doom him for what he did and Ash only followed the creed, saving his honor.

Touching his lips, Ash remembered the kiss and he couldn't describe how he felt during it. Of course, he knew how to kiss and all. Moreover, it wasn't even the first kiss with that girl, but this time it felt different. It seemed that there was something like passion between them and Ash immediately relinquished the thought that he could be in love with that girl.

Instead, he told himself that it was something that should never have happened and that he was now a prison of his own feelings. Instead of controlling his feelings, Ash was now controlled by his own feelings and the assassin hated that feeling to be dependent on something.

He didn't dare to think what would have happened if he didn't stop the kiss.

Eventually he remembered the words that he told her in the bathroom. He was a shadow. He couldn't return her feelings. He didn't want to return them.

Soon this day would be over and Ash didn't do anything notable today, delaying his mission even more. After he failed his mission with Giovanni, Ash had been in a crisis and he had cared more for the citizens than for his targets.

Could it be possible that the raven-haired killer had already enough from this? Didn't the master have the skills to finish a quest? Petalburg turned out as a city full of opponents that wanted his death and Ash sighed that he couldn't prevent some events.

Perhaps it was also the city. For several days already, Ash was trapped within the town and the assassin didn't like the feeling of being depended on something like a city.

All that and more went through his mind and Ash felt even more terrible.

Fortunately, Lucario arrived at the hideout and opened the front door. Fearing that his master would punish him for letting May escape, the aura Pokémon bowed down before he took a seat next to the master assassin.

"I'm sorry, master …" Lucario started, but Ash already motioned for him to stop. There was no reason to justify such things and the aura Pokémon sensed the pressure on his master.

"It's not your fault! If she wants to stay here, then I won't stop her." Ash clarified, not wasting another thought on that situation.

Lucario accepted that, but the aura user was curios what happened during that time where he brought Dawn to her house. It seemed that Ash suffered and that he regretted something, but the aura Pokémon couldn't read his master' mind.

Right in that moment, May left the bathroom and Pikachu followed her. Lowering her head, May walked past Ash and Lucario before she walked upstairs into her room. She already ate dinner and a nice night could probably help her to feel better.

"We should go to bed, too, Luacrio." The assassin suggested, stretching his legs. It was already dark and there wasn't anything that they could do during the night, at least Ash thought so.

"I'm not tired, master. I'll instead read those sheets of papers that you brought me from the assassin's guild. Do you allow?" Lucario still asked for permission, but Ash didn't care about that, therefore the raven-haired killer nodded before he went to bed.

The aura Pokémon assumed that his master was depressed that they didn't make any progress on their mission, therefore he would search for something that could cheer him up. Perhaps another name or the hideouts of those templar.

* * *

It was already past midnight and a small thunderstorm started an hour ago, but it was still just Lucario and his candles. During his training, the aura Pokémon noticed that patience would always be rewarded with results, therefore he kept reading.

A lot of text covered the table and Lucario already drank his tenth bottle of water, but he still hadn't found anything interesting so far.

Most of those papers were just about events that happened two years ago, but that weren't relevant anymore. Again, the situation became frustrating and the steel-type almost tossed the whole paper stuff off the ground before he found an article that could be interesting. It was about a templar investment that was outside of the town, but they should reach it within a day or less when they would use Pidgeot.

Reading it multiple times, Lucario started to do different kinds of mathematic tasks before he took a map to locate something in the east of the country. He wasn't hundred percent sure, but it seemed that he and Ash had their next location.

Satisfied with his work, Lucario took s short nap before he would tell his master the joyful news.

A few hours later, Lucario woke up again and the Pokémon already took the papers and ran to the sleeping cabin of his master.

As soon as he opened the door, he saw that Ash put on his hidden blades and the assassin could see that his servant had something on its chest.

"What's up, Lucario? It's still quite early." Ash noted, tossing the covers of his bed into the corner. Ash wasn't the tidiest person ever, but at least he tried to remove any kind of trash. Once more, Ash checked the mechanism of his hidden blades and the Kanto native could swear that today would be special in some way.

"I'm sorry, master, but I found something interesting in your documents!" Lucario blurted out.

"Something interesting, you say?" Ash raised an eyebrow and he tilted his head at the mysterious message from Lucario.

"I'm not as educated as you, master, but I'm sure that it would hit the templar hard if we cut their money source, right?" Lucario asked rhetorically, not expecting a no as an answer, but the aura type still had to wait for the approval of his master.

"It's usual for humans to have problem when they don't have any money and those templar need a lot of money to pay their soldiers and spies." Ash explained, although Lucario already knew that.

"That's the reason why I suggest that we should infiltrate their open-cast mining spot in the south of the kingdom, master. When I read the documents, I found an article about the foundation of such a mining, but it would still need two years until it would be finished. Unfortunately, the paper was two years old, therefore I assume that they get their gold from that spot." Lucario explained coherently, taking the sheet of paper and pointing to the article.

"In the south? Outside of the town?" Ash repeated Lucario's words and the assassin liked the idea of a mission out side of the city. It could finally bring him out of his crisis and Ash already missed some nature.

"That's right, master. What do you say?" Lucario asked curiously and he looked forward to that mission, but unfortunately, he forgot something, or rather someone.

"I'll definitely pay a visit to that mining, but I fear that you have to stay here, Lucario." Ash said.

"Why?" Lucario was confused that his master would leave the town without him, although it was Lucario who found this whole location.

"We still have a guest and I won't let her alone without someone who watches her." Ash clarified and his voice revealed that he was serious about that. It implied that there wasn't a way to argue with him about that and the aura Pokémon had to accept that order.

"I understand, master!" Lucario said, although he wouldn't mind to protect his master instead of that girl. It was his duty to follow Ash's orders and the aura Pokémon would wait for his master, because it wasn't the first time that Ash did a mission on his own.

"It's not the best task you could wish for, Lucario, but I also need someone who watches over the hideout. I won't do anything too stupid, I promise, however, I'm sure that this mission is exactly what I need to come back to my full potential."

"I understand master …." Lucario replied once more.

"I'll leave immediately!" Ash said out of the blue, feeling as if he had to get out of here as soon as possible.

"Don't you want to eat something first, master?" Lucario asked, not liking it that his master wanted to risk his life as early as possible.

The rumbling noise of a stomach revealed that the assassin should stay for breakfast and Ash had to admit that he would have a problem within the next few days without Lucario. Ash wasn't famous for his cooking skills, but he always found a way to survive two or three days without food.

"It couldn't harm to stay for breakfast …." Ash said, rubbing sheepishly the back of his head.

Even Pikachu was awake right now and the yellow rodent looked several times around corner, looking for something or someone. It had been since yesterday evening that the rodent became restless and Lucario assumed that the mouse searched for the small fox of May. However, Eevee wasn't here anymore and it didn't seem that Dawn would visit within the next few days.

Luckily, Ash was already fully dressed and he wouldn't need too many things on this journey.

"Do you want to fly with Pidgeot, master?" Lucario asked curiously and he already thought about the time how long his master would be on the road.

"Pidgeot would be fast, but I want him to stay here with you. It could be that we get another message from master Oak and I allow you to answer him if you get one." Ash said honestly and the assassin knew that he could trust his partner with that task.

"I won't disappoint you!" Lucario bowed once more down.

"You won't Lucario! You won't!" Ash replied before he ate another piece of his breakfast. It was a healthy one that consisted of bread, eggs, milk and fruits. It was important for the black-haired boy to stay in shape and the next days would cost him a lot of energy.

"Moreover, I'll take Pikachu with me and ask my friend Tracey da Vinci for a Rapidash, because I'm sure that an artist like him has one." Ash explained his plan to the aura Pokémon and the blue dog-like creature couldn't say that it wasn't a good idea to discover the location by horse.

Handing Ash the map and the information, Lucario took a deep breath, but perhaps his master would feel better after such a mission on his own.

They then heard a noise from upstairs and both individuals looked up to the brunette. She was awake and fully dressed as well, again wearing the assassin symbol on her head. Walking down the stairs, May stayed silent before she sat down on a chair next to Ash without saying one word.

Ash nodded to Lucario and the aura user understood.

The brown-haired orphan shouldn't know anything about Ash' mission and during the next few days she should just live a normal life. It wasn't easy to speak about normal, but at least it wouldn't contain murder, blood and violence.

May ate a fruit while looking several times to Ash. She didn't know what she should say to him, but it was enough for her to be close to him. However, she noticed that Ash was unusual 'happy' and that he seemed to look forward to something. May's ability to read human minds like a book came into play and the brown-haired girl became suspicious.

Without warning, Ash stood up and took his weapons before he approached Lucario. Whispering into his ear, Ash showed that the life of his servant was more important than anything of his goods.

"If the hideout is attacked, you and May will escape without hesitation! That's not a request, that's an order!" Ash whispered to Lucario before he motioned to Pikachu to jump onto his shoulder. It didn't take a second and the yellow mouse sat next to his master' head.

Ash turned one more time around before he smiled at the brunette.

It was confusing and May didn't know what she should think. It was a comforting smile, but it also showed signs of regret and sadness.

Soon, the assassin left the house and the aura Pokémon knew that he had to care for May for those days. It would become difficult once May knew that the assassin wouldn't come back, but Lucario tried to behave like always.

"You don't mind when I search through some documents?" Lucario asked 'innocently' and the brunette girl shook her head, implying that she hadn't a problem with that.

"I'll take a short nap ….." May pretended to yawn and Lucario believed her, so he went into the study room.

Waiting for her opportunity, May dashed immediately to the door before she left the house as well.

* * *

Walking across the plaza, Ash felt some kind of freedom, as if a heavy weight had fallen off his chest. Every step meant that he would escape from this situation. He wouldn't admit it, but Ash was afraid. He was afraid what would happen when he stayed in that house.

"It's technical a mission, Pikachu, but for me it's a vacation …." Ash told his rodent, the only Pokémon that could listen to him without interrupting him.

"I told that Tracey has Rapidashs, but I'm not sure about it. You don't mind that we left without hesitation, do you?" Ash asked his yellow rodent and the mouse Pokémon shook his head, being ready to risk his life for the mission and the creed.

Ash fastened up his speed and the assassin dashed through the alleys until he reached that workshop. It had been some time since he was here and the assassin couldn't even remember how he left that building. Written in bold letters, Tracey's name was visible above the entrance door.

"It's time that you meet an artist of Petalburg, Pikachu." Ash said dramatically.

He knocked twice on the door, hoping to get a response. It wasn't like their first meeting where Ash was still wanted, but the assassin didn't want to waste any time. Moreover, he had this weird feeling that someone watched him, but the assassin couldn't put his finger on it.

Soon, his knocking was answered and the headband-wearing artist opened the door. Tracey didn't smashed the door open, but he rather opened it a bit to look who was in front of his workshop. After realizing that it was that guy again, Da Vinci requested the assassin to come in.

After he closed the door again, Tracey started to ask multiple questions.

"You're still alive? I heard that you were killed by royal guards in front the castle." Tracey asked curiously, but Ash could just smirk at that. It was good that most people believed this bullcrap and the assassin couldn't complain about his 'death'.

"That's exactly what I want you to believe, Da Vinci!" Ash replied.

Pikachu ran up to a table and the mouse Pokémon ogled at some sort of device. It was something completely new and the electro-type started to touch it. It didn't take long until Tracey took it away from the curios rodent and the artist carefully put it onto a shelter.

"That's nothing for you!" Tracey said sternly, but he received some sparkles from the yellow rodent.

Ash motioned to Pikachu to calm down, because they weren't here to start an argument with the inventor. An assassin couldn't do everything on its own and Ash knew that, therefore he relied on the help of individuals that had their own problems with the targets of the assassins.

"To come to the point, I need your help, Tracey." Ash said straight away.

"You couldn't have come to a less favorable moment ….." Tracey acknowledged, taking a letter from his desk. It was written with black ink, meaning that it came from a rich person or perhaps some noble person.

"It's not much. I just need a Rapidash for a few days." Ash clarified, not intending to waste Tracey's time.

"That's the problem, assassin. I have been ordered to come to a small village to draw a portrait of some daughter of such a rich businessman." Tracey said with an annoyed voice, seemingly not being very eager to draw a portrait of someone.

"Isn't it your job to draw portraits?" Ash asked confused.

"It's just a part of my work, assassin. In reality, I'm interested in the rules of the nature as well as the inventions of the human brain. It seemed that there are unlimited opportunities to use his mind and I'll use it to its fullest." Tracey explained, but Ash couldn't do much with this future-thinking mind of the artist.

"Can't you just rent me one of your Rapidashs?" Ash asked once again, but the inventor again shook his head.

"I need to take several utensils with me, therefore I'll take my carriage and I'll need two Rapidashs to pull it. I'm sorry, but I can't help you." Tracey clarified, although he wasn't very eager to be disliked by Ash.

Ash sighed before he looked onto that letter. It was this typical writing of a noble person that was very proud of his daughter, but something caught Ash's attention. It was the location where Tracey had to travel to and the assassin immediately pulled out his map to compare them.

After some seconds, Ash was sure and he turned to the artist.

"It's perfect, Da Vinci. The location of your client is near to the point of my mission." Ash said enthusiastically. It couldn't be better, because Ash assumed that the artist could cook and the raven-haired boy needed nothing more than a cook.

"I don't know …." Tracey said unsurely. "You're still a killer, although they don't search for you anymore."

"I'm sure that you could need someone who escorts you to that village, because I heard that the south of the kingdom is the home of multiple criminals and so on." Ash tried to frighten Tracey and the assassin even succeeded. The artist wasn't the bravest one and that event in front of his workshop traumatized him for his whole life.

"After I think about it a second time, we could benefit both from that, I guess." Tracey said fearfully and he tried to hide his fear.

"Great! When do you intend to start?" Ash asked and he couldn't wait to leave the city for some time. Of course, he thought about Lucario and Pidgeot, but both Pokémon already had already been alone for quite some more time.

"To be honest, I just was about to get my things on the carriage before you knocked on my door." Tracey explained, pointing to some advices in the corner. It wasn't that much, but Ash took the few things and carried them into the carriage.

It was very spontaneous, but Ash never wasted any time to get things started. It was a nice carriage that was protected by a canopy, Tracey's other portraits, and colors were dropped into the wooden vehicle.

Among the portraits and easels, Ash spotted something that looked weird. It had the form of a wooden bat, but the Kanto assassin couldn't explain what that should be. It seemed something like the skeleton of a Pidgeot, but it was just ridiculous.

"What's that, Tracey?" Ash asked, pointing to that piece of wood.

"That's just a small idea. It could be that I found a way how a human can fly without the help of a Pokémon." Tracey said proudly.

"First, that's completely unnecessary and seconds, that's impossible." Ash acknowledged before he shook his head. In his opinion, his artist friend had two or three beers too much the last night.

"I'll take the rein!" Ash said, pushing Tracey gently to the side.

The inventor was slightly confused, but he didn't mind it nevertheless. It wasn't his hobby to lead those horses over the roads.

"Okay, you should just know that this is Ash .. .." Tracey pointed to the Rapidash on the left side. " …. and this is May!" He pointed to the Rapidash on the right side.

Ash almost yelled, but he tried to stay calm. It was just a coincidence that his Rapidashs were called like him and the girl, although it would make it more difficult to forget the situation with the brown-haired girl.

It was time to get things going and Ash shook the reins to give those horses a sign that they should trop along the way. Unfortunately, the fire-types didn't do anything and Ash again shook the reins, but once more, there wasn't any reaction.

"You have to call them by their names." Tracey explained and the assassin murmured something under his breath, but he had to follow the suggestion of the artist.

"Let's go Ash and May!" Ash said and he was glad that the artist next to him didn't know his real name. Finally, the small trip could start and the carriage moved along the road. It was a different feeling to travel like that.

* * *

Unfortunately, Lucario didn't find any new information so far and the aura-like Pokémon thought about his other duties. It could possible take a few days until Ash would be bad, but perhaps the aura user could examine this iron pipe again.

It was a powerful weapon and Lucario hoped that his master could use such things in the future. Most likely, he could need it against heavy armored guardians.

At the moment, it should just be Lucario and May within the house and the aura Pokémon walked up to the brunette's room. It was time for lunch, the steel/fighting Pokémon had to cheer the girl up, and hopefully, he could convince her to sleep the next nights at Dawn's house.

May said that she would take another nap and the aura Pokémon knocked gently on the door, not wanting to disturb the brown-haired orphan at something.

No response.

The aura Pokémon now opened the door and looked into the room. For his shock, the girl wasn't there anymore and there wasn't a sign that she was here at all after last night. It couldn't be.

Using his aura, Lucario searched for the girl, but there wasn't any aura besides Pidgeot and the servant facepalmed. Again, he lost the girl and this time, it could be that the brunette followed his master to his next mission.

* * *

Finally, Ash and Tracey left the town before they took the street that would lead them into the south. It was the first time in almost a week that the assassin left the city and he hoped that the artist could help him to find the way. According to Lucario's map, Ash would need almost a day to the mining.

"What do you want to do in the south?" Tracey asked, starting a conversation after he and Ash would have to come along for several hours.

"Just meeting a contact person." Ash lied. He didn't know why he did it, but it felt so naturally to lie to everyone, except Lucario and other assassins.

"It's good to leave the city for a while, but I fear that the next time when I'll return to the town that those templar will ruin it completely." Tracey explained, looking over his shoulder where the walls of Petalburg city vanished behind some trees.

"I wouldn't bet on that." Ash said, chuckling.

"We will be on the road for quite some time, so tell me, how do you met your Pikachu." Tracey looked to the yellow rodent that sat on the same bench of the carriage as they. After all, Pikachus were rare Pokémon in the Hoenn region, although the artist knew that the assassin came from another kingdom.

"It wasn't that special, but Pikachu is as experienced as me, therefore we are a good team." Ash explained slowly before he thought back to a time where he wasn't the master assassin that he was today.

_/Start of Flashback/_

_It was a long distance and Ash didn't know if he was able to jump across the abyss. It was one of the first free running training sessions of the small raven-haired boy and master Oak said that he saw great potential in the small Pallet town native._

_Looking slightly into the dark, Ash wasn't convinced that he could do that._

"_I don't want to!" Ash refused to put his life onto the line._

"_You have to defeat your fears if you want to become independent, Ash!" A younger Oak said, standing right next to Ash. It was well known that the master only trained special individuals, but the training sessions under him were brutal._

"_I'm afraid …." Ash said once more._

_The kid was just nine years old and he suffered from acrophobia. It was too much for the orphan to see the endless deep hole, but the master still insisted that the kid should try it._

_Despite his fear, Ash was pushed by Oak and the small kid had to jump. At first, it looked like that he could make it, but at the other end of the abyss, Ash slipped off the edge. Without any ground under his feet, Ash fell, but the boy grabbed a root. _

"_Master Oak! I need help!" Ash pleaded the older man, but the master didn't even try to help that kid._

"_If I help you, then you wouldn't learn anything, Ash." Oak explained before he walked away from the abyss. Ignoring the calls for help, Oak waited near a rock for the boy and he knew that it could take some time. _

_Ash tried desperately to grab the edge of the cliff, but due to the mud, Ash slipped off completely and fell into the darkness. It was a long fall and the poor boy hit several roots and other things on his way down. After he believed that it wouldn't end, Ash dropped into a net of vines that softened his fall. If it wasn't for the, Ash would be dead._

_Sobbing, Ash laid in the mud and everything from his head to his feet hurt. _

_After almost an hour, Ash realized that master Oak wouldn't help him. Sitting up, Ash sniffed before he looked up. He couldn't even see the top of the cliff and it seemed that this here was an abyss with no-way-out. _

_Ash's leg was hurt and the Kanto native yelled for help, but again there was no response. For Several minutes, Ash just hit the wall with his palm, but nothing happened. It was pointless and the small kid laid on his back, waiting for something that should have happened earlier._

_Suddenly, the child heard a weak voice. It wasn't the voice from a human, but it was still a clear from a living creature. Crawling into the direction of those noises, Ash needed to look careful before his eyes were adjusted to the poor light within the abyss._

_Ash wasn't alone in that abyss and the Kanto trainer spotted a yellow creature that was more hurt than he was. _

_Approaching it, Ash saw that it was a small mouse with yellow fur, but the kid wasn't experienced enough to know that it was a Pikachu. _

_According to its injuries, the rodent had to be fall into the hole as well and only god knew how long the mouse laid here. _

"_Pika ….."_

_Ash was always the kind of boy that couldn't harm an animal or Pokémon and the raven-haired nine-year-old caressed the rodent's cheek. Unfortunately, Pikachu was everything, but happy that someone disturbed him, therefore he bit Ash into his finger. _

_It hurt like hell, but the Kanto native knew that the Pokémon only wanted to defend himself. _

"_Don't worry, little rodent. I fell into the abyss as well …" Ash said with a comforting voice and he again, tried to lift the rodent of the ground. Once again, the mouse bit into his hand, but Ash didn't loose his grip on him. _

_Ash couldn't let the rodent within the hole, because he needed his help. Ash couldn't rescue an important person once in his life, but he wouldn't do it again. The electro-type needed help, but Ash hadn't anything to treat the wounds of his new yellow friend._

_Holding the rodent with his left arm, Ash took the courage to try to escape from that prison. The Pikachu needed his help and Ash didn't want to disappoint the mouse. He didn't want to disappoint another one._

_Several times, Ash fell back into the hole, but he couldn't give up. It wasn't just his life that was on the line, but also Pikachu'. It took multiple times until Ash found a way to a higher level, but he still couldn't see the end of the wall. _

"_Hold on …." Ash whispered to the small mouse._

_Pikachu still bit into the kid's hand, but the boy still held onto him. It was weird for Pikachu, but the child actually saved him, although Pikachu didn't even want to be rescued._

_He almost cried at the thought that he couldn't save the Pokémon, therefore Ash fought through the pain and he received multiple cuts on his arms and legs through to various roots. Ash couldn't allow himself to fall down again. He couldn't allow to let the rodent take another bump like that._

_The first blood went down his arms, but Ash wanted to get out of that hole. He didn't want to witness the death of the rodent. _

_It took almost half an hour until Ash finally saw sunbeams and the Kanto kid climbed faster before he reached the edge of the abyss again. Like expected, Oak didn't do anything, but Ash did it on his own. _

_Ash escaped the abyss. Ash escaped a certain death. Ash didn't do it on his own. It was a yellow rodent that forced Ash to fight through the pain. It was a yellow mouse that gave Ash the strength to exceed his own limits. _

_Ash crawled over the ground, putting Pikachu on the grass before the raven-haired Kanto kid blacked out next to the rock where master Oak sat. The leader of the assassins looked at the boy and he was satisfied that Ash learned the first important rule to survive. _

_It was a drastic training session, but Ash' will to survive had developed through this moment. Moreover, Ash found a new friend in Pikachu and the new duo would surely watch over each other in the future. _

_/End of Flashback/_

Ash sighed when he finished the story. On the one hand, he told Tracey about Oak's gruel personality, but at the same time, he showed him that it was important to have someone that you can rely on.

After some seconds of silence, Ash heard someone sobbing in the back of the carriage.

**End of chapter!**

* * *

**Finally, we learned some more facts about Ash' past, but also we finally, left Petalburg for some time. Tracey and Ash are on their way to the mining and the raven-haired assassin tried to catch some breath after the turbulent events within the city. I suppose that this story isn't something for everyone, because I emphasize the character development of May and Ash.**

**During the next chapter, there will be some action and what will Lucario do in Petalburg?**

**Some things for understandings:**

**- Ash's confused after May kissed him  
**

**- there's a weird attitude between May and Ash now**

**- Dawn has Eevee with her at her family house**

**- Lucario worked during the night to find information about a mining**

**- Ash immediately went onto that mission, because he wanted to be away from May. Not only was he confused, but he couldn't stand the awkwardness after the bathroom scene.**

**- Tracey's Rapidashs are called Ash and May (What a coincidence?)**

**- Ash holds the reins of the carriage**

**- Tracey Da Vinci will be a key role in later chapters**

**That was chapter seventeen and let's see if I include more flashbacks in the next chapters. Of course, I'll try to include some fights and cool free running moments within the next chapters.**

**Don't flame! (Advanceshipping and minor Ikarishipping)**

**Please review!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Next chapter of my only M-rated story and this time there'll be several action-filled scenes and some actions within Petalburg will take place. As of now, we know how Ash met Pidgeot and Pikachu, but not Lucario. After the last chapter, a relationship between Ash and May is out of question, but is there a possibility that Ash can't deny his feelings anymore?**

**Rating-M, because of: **Violence, blood, murder, pain, torture, bad language, death and minor sexual content

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon**

**R&R!**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

It was still a sunny day, although dark clouds approached the location from the west side and the carriage of Tracey da Vinci moved slowly across the path. Of course, his Rapidashs May and Ash could move much faster, but it was a long distance until they would reach the small village in the south of the kingdom.

Seconds after Ash had finished his story about his first meeting with Pikachu, he and his traveling companion heard a noise that sounded like a sobbing girl in the back of the carriage. According to the artists puzzled look, Tracey didn't know either who it could be.

"Do you have some passenger in the back?" The assassin asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No." Tracey replied casually, shrugging.

Ash became suspicious and the assassin turned around to remove the 'curtain' that separated them from the goods in the back of the carriage.

Unfortunately, before he could throw a look into the carriage, an arrow hit the wood of the buckboard just inches away from Ash. It was unexpected, but not surprising at all and the raven-haired killer relinquished his ideas to solve this mystery.

The two travelers immediately heard several noises of hooves that hit the road, but they constantly became faster and louder. Looking to the side, Ash realized that they were followed and that several thieves approached them with Rapidashs.

"Take the reins!" Ash ordered and handed the inventor next to him the straps.

"Who are they?" Tracey asked fearfully.

"Who knows, but they don't want to talk to you, I guess." Ash replied, knowing that it was stupid question. "Pikachu, jump into the back of the carriage and wait for anyone who tries to enter it from behind!"

The yellow rodent immediately vanished behind the curtain, leaving its master alone with those attackers. As soon as it took its place, the mouse noted that there was some other individual within the vehicle.

"Pika?" The yellow rodent said, tilting its head. It was dark within the carriage and the rodent had to look carefully to see that it was a human.

"Pikachu, don't reveal that I'm here, please!" The voice said and the electro-type remembered that voice, but he also knew that this girl shouldn't be here. It was too dangerous and his master would be more than mad.

May crouched between Tracey's inventions and some of Ash's weapons, hoping that she would learn more about Ash's life. She knew that it was dangerous outside of Petalburg, but she would risk it as long as she could see more of the world.

The rodent thought about the situation and he realized that he shouldn't give May's hideout away. Knowing that the girl had a difficult time, Pikachu would help her to come with them, but he had to protect her nevertheless.

"Thank you!" May whispered, relying on Pikachu's help.

Suddenly, they heard how someone jumped onto the top of the carriage and the rodent and the girl didn't know who it was. It could be Ash or perhaps a thief, but May couldn't start to panic and reveal her position.

Outside the carriage, Ash stood on top of the carriage to get a better view about the situation. As of now, the assassin could see seven thieves with Rapidashs and nobody ever thought about the reason why the fire of those horses didn't burn their horsemen.

Tracey pulled on the reins to fasten the carriage up, but their chasers wouldn't lose them like that and a confrontation needed to happen. The passengers were shaken within the wood and Tracey should be careful that his vehicle wouldn't be damaged through the speed.

Ash looked at those men and he was sure that they weren't Templar, but nevertheless they wouldn't let them get away without getting their goods.

Using his balance, the assassin took his bow and an arrow and perhaps he could eliminate some of them. In the best case, they would stop their chase when they realize that it wasn't worth it. Of course, Ash wouldn't hurt those horses, because they weren't to blame for this and Ash had a lot of respect for Pokémon.

"Try to stay on the road!" Ash shouted.

Tracey didn't reply, because the artist had enough to do at the moment and the way became more uncomfortable for a carriage. Of course, streets outside of cities weren't made of stones; therefore, it wasn't surprising that multiple potholes crossed the way of the carriage.

It wasn't the first time that Ash had to deal with thieves, but it became boring after some time for him.

Putting the arrow across his bow, the raven-haired assassin aimed for the man that was closest to the carriage before he released his hold on the arrow. Like expected, the arrow shot right into the chest of the first thief who immediately fell down from his horse.

It affected the rest of the group, but unfortunately, not how Ash wanted. Instead of frighten them with this kill, the thieves became more aggressive and most of them took a small crossbow similar to that one of Paul.

"Not good …" Ash murmured under his breath before he looked over his shoulder to see that the carriage entered a huge forest.

Once he turned around again, the killer saw that there were more followers now. Instead of the remaining six, it were twelve now and all of them aimed for the assassin who was the perfect target on top of the carriage.

"Can't you get faster?" Ash shouted.

"I'm sorry, but May and Ash already give their best and this road becomes worse by the second!" Tracey replied and the artist slowly but surely got problems to sit on the bench in front of the carriage. Moreover, the wheels of the vehicle made strange noises and Ash knew that he only had a limited time for his task.

Thanks to his aura, Ash was able to avoid most of the bolts that were shot onto him. It was almost like a supernatural awareness, but the killer knew that it needed only one mistake to end his life today. However, Ash wasn't ready to die and the assassin kneeled down to become a smaller target for the chasers of the carriage.

Some of the Rapidashs already approached the carriage and the riders on the back of them prepared for a close combat fight, although it was more than stupid.

Ash smirked when he threw a throwing knife at one of them, reducing the number of them to eleven.

For the first time, the raven-haired ma could see that there wasn't anything like fear on the face of the rest of the followers. It was more than weird, but it wouldn't make them unbeatable. The second thief left his horse and jumped onto the carriage as well where Ash already awaited him with a large smile.

Ash wanted to drew his sword when he was interrupted by Tracey.

"Caution! A branch!" Tracey shouted and Ash turned around that the next tree had a branch that went across the street. Unfortunately, it was too close to the carriage to dodge, therefore Ash needed to jump.

Making a back handspring, the assassin avoided contact with the wood while the second 'passenger' wasn't that lucky. It looked painful how the branch was rammed into the stomach of the thief, but Ash couldn't care less right now.

Now it were 'only' ten followers, but suddenly it became more difficult to ignore the thieves.

Using the flames of the Rapidashs, the hooded men enlightened the tips of their arrows before shooting them onto the vehicle of Tracey. Being made of wood, it wouldn't move any longer when fire would destroy it and Ash needed to stop it.

"It are times like this where I would need Lucario the most …" Ash murmured.

The first fire-arrow already hit the side of the carriage and Ash needed to remove it quickly before it would infect the remaining wood. Hanging on one arm, Ash removed the arrow, but slowly but surely, he realized that it was perhaps too much for one assassin.

Swinging back onto the top of the carriage, Ash crunched with his teeth when he saw how another fire-arrow hit the wood.

"Fuck …" Ash cursed and he took his bow once more.

Tracey looked over his shoulder to see how the situation was, but he couldn't see a lot. It seemed to be a difficult fight for the assassin, but the artist couldn't help him at all. Turning to the front again, Tracey fastened up the carriage and unfortunately, he didn't see the next branch early enough.

"Branch!" Tracey shouted.

Ash turned around, but it was already too late. This time it was the assassin who felt the wood within his stomach and the impact threw him off the carriage onto the road. Moreover, his bow and arrows were thrown away as well, flying somewhere into the wood.

With a loud bump, Ash landed onto his back and for a few seconds, he was dazzled and confused.

He only saw how the carriage became smaller and smaller in the distance while several Rapidashs dashed into this direction as well. It took several moments before Ash realized that he didn't have any time to lay on the ground like an idiot.

The rest of the crew didn't know that they lost their most important man and Tracey only concentrated on the road right now. Unfortunately, one fire-arrow was still at the side of the carriage and slowly the fire begun to spread onto the wood.

The thieves, who passed Ash, approached the carriage once more, but this time without the 'annoying' assassin on top of it.

Ash shook his head when he 'sensed' an aura behind him and the Kanto native knew that it was another Rapidash. It was now or never and the assassin jumped onto his feet before he turned around to encounter the 'last' thief. Of course, the man on the horse didn't have time to waste his time with a 'lost' passenger.

The assassin only had one chance to catch up with Tracey and for that, he needed that horse. Of course, Ash intended to steal the Rapidash from the thief before he would follow the road until he would be close enough to reenter the carriage again.

With a quick move, Ash dodged the horse before he swung around onto the back of it. Sitting behind the 'original' rider, Ash tried to throw this guy of the Rapidash, but it was easier said than done and the thief wouldn't give the assassin his horse that easy.

"Away with you!" The thief said, hitting some elbows into Ash's stomach.

"Shut up!" Ash didn't have time for that and the assassin released one of his hidden blades and rammed into the side of the thief. Seconds later and Ash could throw this idiot off the horse and now he had to chase Tracey's carriage.

Taking the reins, Ash fastened up the horse. Unfortunately, the carriage was out of eyeshot and the raven-haired killer hoped that nothing happened to Pikachu.

With Ash out of the picture, the thieves could finally enter the carriage. Of course, they were interested in the objects in the back and the first thief climbed through the curtain in the back of the carriage after he left his Rapidash.

May curled up into a ball and she feared that this man could find her and the rodent. Yelling for Ash was a possibility, but she didn't want to distract the boy from his 'work', therefore she just hoped that the thief would find what he want and leave.

"Let's see what we have here." The thief said, looking through the things.

A second later and he felt how something ironed hit his head before he was sent out of the carriage again. Crashing onto the street, the thief-number was reduced to eight. Some of the other followers looked suspiciously at this incident. On the other hand, they had to hurry, because the fire already reached the top of the carriage.

"Thank you, Pikachu …" May quietly thanked the rodent before she noted the flames.

It wasn't much fire so far, but the first flames appeared at the top corner of the wood and nobody knew how it could happen.

"Oh no …." The brunette remembered the night where she was locked up in her room, being left on her own while flames destroyed her home. It was a traumatizing experience for her and May was paralyzed because of that fear.

It became a terrible replay of the events a few days ago and the poor orphan was caught within her bad memories, enabling her to do anything to help herself or other.

The electro-type noted the fire as well and Pikachu left the carriage and climbed to the top of it as well. Unfortunately, Ash wasn't anywhere and the yellow mouse feared the worst for his best friend and master, even getting the wish to revenge his human friend. Using a thunderbolt, Pikachu hit one of the chasing Rapidashs and the fire-type shook its body and threw the rider onto the ground before the horse vanished within the forest.

Sooner or later, Tracey had to notice the fire as well and the artist smelt the smoke from the back, turning around, Tracey already saw the flames and the inventor wondered what the assassin was doing on top of the carriage.

Right in that moment, the carriage left the forest and entered a location that seemed to lead to a 'mountain' street. Nevertheless, Tracey couldn't slow down and the two Rapidashs still tried their best to pull the wood over the street.

Several hundred feet behind them was Ash and the assassin tried his best as well to catch up with them. It bothered him that he wasn't better, because it was a shame that he was thrown of the carriage because of a branch, but what happened had happened and the raven-haired killer needed to save the future.

Once more, he hit the reins before he caught up with one of the thieves and fortunately, he wasn't noticed yet. After losing his bow, Ash only had his throwing knifes for the distance, but at least, he was good enough with then and soon, the first rider fell off his horse as well.

Approaching the first horses, Ash saw the flames on top of the vehicle and he knew that he needed to convince Tracey to give up his utensils. Now he was leaving the forest as well and the Kanto native didn't like the picture in front of him.

Not knowing this location, Ash didn't know that the road led to a canyon and unfortunately, the road was reduced to a fifteen feet wide strip that was limited by a rock face on the right side and an abyss on the left side.

"Can it get any worse …" Ash murmured, although he didn't know that his actual problem was within the back of the carriage.

The wind blew into his face and the assassin eliminated another thief with a throwing knife. The steel hit hard into the chest of the man who fell off his horse into the canyon and Ash knew that it could possible the fate of Tracey' carriage as well.

Pikachu on top of the carriage spotted its master and the rodent was relieved that Ash was still alive.

Ignoring the last four thieves, Ash rammed its feet into the side of the horse and approached the burning carriage. Of course, he was noticed and the remaining thieves turned around to see that their numbers were dramatically reduced.

Standing up on his horse, Ash had to enter the carriage from the back, because it wasn't possible to be side to side with Tracey's vehicle. Jumping off the horse's back, the assassin grab the edge of the carriage's top before his Rapidash stopped right on the street.

Only one of the four remaining thieves could dash around the 'lost' Rapidash while the other three had to stop with their chase. It was rather difficult to 'convince' a horse to walk past another horse at a cliff and this gave Ash hopefully enough time to handle the situation with the burning carriage.

Hanging on the back of the carriage' roof, Ash needed to lift himself up before he would explain Tracey the situation.

Right when he wanted to push himself to the top, Ash was hit by a bolt that went right through his right thigh. Moreover, it nailed him onto the wood and the assassin had to suppress a scream at this point, biting onto his tongue.

Pikachu became angry and the rodent looked to the last chaser. Once more, he released a thunderbolt towards the chaser and again, the thief was thrown to the ground, ending this whole assault on a whole note. However, it was weird why these thieves were so stubborn with their attempt to get Tracey's carriage. Nevertheless, Ash didn't have time to think about the reasons.

"Thanks, Pikachu …" Ash thanked his Pokémon, although he tried to handle the pain right now.

The rodent looked with a concerned gaze to his master and it was Ash's responsibility to calm his partner down.

"It's just a scratch …" Ash lied, but the fire didn't allow him to hang there.

With a quick move, Ash jumped onto the top of the roof and the arrow broke at the top end away, however, the rest of the bolt was still within his thigh and the blood dropped to the ground where it changed the color of the wood.

Limping more or less, Ash walked to the front of the carriage where Tracey still held the reins. Of course, the artist didn't know that there weren't any followers anymore and that the biggest problem was the fire now.

"Da Vinci, we need to give up the carriage and release your Rapidashs!" Ash shouted.

"But my utensils and inventions!" Tracey shouted as well.

"It doesn't matter!" Ash said angrily, not intending to argue with the artist of unimportant utensils. "Remove the support, so that we can leave with your Rapidashs!"

"Can't we just stop the carriage?" Tracey asked, not knowing why he should give up all of his ideas and inventions.

Right in that moment, the fire reached the axle of the carriage and it was only a matter of a few moments until it would break. Still moving along the cliff, the carriage could fall into the abyss like one of the thieves. Moreover, it was dangerous to stop the horses on that small path and it was hundred times better to lose the carriage, instead of risking that the Rapidashs could be dragged into the abyss by the carriage.

"Just do it!" Ash yelled before he jumped onto that bench in front of the carriage.

Tracey hesitated, because the way from the carriage to the back of one of his horses was far and the inventor wasn't the bravest anyway. Almost paralyzed by his doubts, the artist didn't move and the assassin had enough.

Grabbing him by his collar, Ash threw Tracey all the way to the left Rapidash, although it didn't do anything good to his injury. At least, the artist was off the carriage and Ash needed to balance along the iron support that connected the horses with the carriage.

Taking his first step, Ash was suddenly held back by his own Pikachu.

Turning his head, Ash saw that his rodent bit into his arm and it seemed that the electro-type didn't want to leave the carriage right now. It was confusing for Ash, because the assassin already explained why they had to give up the vehicle.

"We need to leave this sinking ship, Pikachu!" Ash said once more, but the rodent still held on his arm, not moving an inch. Moreover, the mouse started to point to the curtain that led to the inside of the carriage where a lot of smoke already came from.

"There's nothing inside that would be worth risking his life for, Pikachu!" Ash explained, but Pikachu still insisted that the assassin would look once more into the inside.

The axle started to break and Ash didn't have time to argue with his rodent.

Giving in, Ash stepped back onto the driver's bench before he looked through the curtain. Of course, the smoke made it difficult to see much and the assassin didn't know why it was such important for Pikachu to rescue an 'object'.

Meanwhile, the carriage approached a curve and with the current speed, it wouldn't be easy to drive along it. Tracey wrapped his arms around the neck of his Rapidash and he feared what would happen next.

Coughing, Ash looked more or less around until Pikachu entered the inside as well. Once he was there, the rodent pointed to a crouching shadow and the assassin had to sneak more into the carriage until he could see the silhouette of a human. A few seconds later and Ash remembered the brown hair and cloths of the girl that should be with Lucario.

"What the hell …." Ash couldn't trust his eyes.

Nevertheless, Pikachu tried to drag the girl out of the smoke. It was a mystery why the girl didn't leave the carriage on her own, but it didn't matter now.

Unknowing to Ash and Pikachu, May was more or less paralyzed by the fire and her traumatizing experience that she didn't do anything to save herself until she passed out like at the night where she was within her own home.

Of course, Ash was angry, but he had to save his disappointment for a later moment.

Reaching for the girl, Ash almost fell face first into the wood when the carriage lost one of its wheels and slowly but surely, the carriage was out of control. It became a race against time and the assassin grabbed the girl under her arms before he pulled her out of the carriage and onto the bench in front of it.

To get her out of the carriage was the easiest part, because now Ash had to get her onto the back of the second Rapidash. Unlike Tracey, May wouldn't help him with the throw and time was running out.

The curve came closer and it wouldn't end good for anyone as long as the support wasn't released.

The fire almost enveloped the whole carriage and Ash put May across his shoulder before he stepped onto the support again. There wasn't time to notice the pain in his leg and the assassin put the brunette onto the back of the second horse.

"Pikachu, keep an eye on her!" Ash ordered and the small electro-mouse went across the support and onto the back o the Rapidash where it hoped that the girl wouldn't slip off the back. Another hole in the street almost caused Ash to fell over, but the raven-haired boy held on.

Tracey just closed his eyes and didn't see any of Ash's actions right now.

The biggest problem was the speed of the whole group and the assassin looked to the support under his feet. Of course, it was made of iron and it seemed to be difficult to open it during a journey. It was far easier to cut the leather support that was wrapped around the bodies of the Rapidashs.

Extending his hidden blade, Ash cut the first support of Tracey's Rapidash before looked to the front. It were only several feet before the curve and everything needed to be executed the right way.

Jumping onto the back of the Rapidash as well, Ash knew that nothing went the way it should have.

Cutting the final leather strap, the horses were released from the carriage and it was time to move around the curve fast enough to avoid the burning wood behind them. In front of Ash was May and the raven-haired boy sighed at his bad luck.

"Da Vinci! Wake up!" Ash shouted and the artist immediately broke away from his state before he noticed the assassin next to him. "Take the reins and lead your Rapidash around the curve now!"

The carriage behind them began to lose its grip on the street and as soon as Ash and Tracey were around the corner, the carriage dashed over the edge before it fell into the abyss. Due to the fire, Ash could see that this canyon was much deeper than someone would think at first.

Pulling the reins to his body, Ash stopped the horse he was riding on. Some seconds later and Tracey stopped as well, looking with a sad face into the abyss that took all of his inventions and utensils.

"It couldn't begin worse …" Tracey sighed.

"Who are you talking about?" Ash said sarcastically, looking to the passed out brunette in front of him who didn't know how much trouble she caused. Nevertheless, Ash was relieved that he didn't forget her in the carriage and he would have to thank Pikachu eventually for that.

""Who were those thieves and why …. Uh … who's that?" Only now, Tracey realized that Ash had another passenger on his Rapidash right now. Moreover, it was an unconscious girl and the artist had the weirdest thoughts why this guy took her with him.

"Not important …" Ash replied, not knowing what he should do right now. On the one hand, he could ride back to Petalburg city and bring May back to Lucario, but the remaining thieves where still somewhere. On the other hand, he couldn't leave Tracey on his own right now and the artist already lost most of his utensils.

"It could be worse, I guess …" Tracey tried to be optimistic.

"At least, we're faster now and I'm sure that we can buy everything for that portrait in that town we're heading to, right?" Ash asked before he remembered that pain in his upper thigh.

"I hope so, but what happened on the roof of my carriage?" Tracey wanted to know a lot.

"Could we save the stories for the break, please? It can't be harm to ride until the evening before we camp outside in the forest." Ash suggested.

At the moment, Tracey agreed and the two men slowly rode along the cliff until they would enter a more comfortable road again. It was only Ash who knew how dangerous the whole situation was, but perhaps it was better so.

Ash hoped that it wasn't a mistake.

* * *

It was another day within the palace and the throne room was almost empty with the exception of an unhappy king Cyrus who still waited for reports. Of course, it was normal that it took a bit longer for messages to reach certain people, but that didn't mean that the king couldn't become impatient with the whole situation.

Normally, it was too much space for one man, but Cyrus was one of those people who needed even more space to feel like a king.

Suddenly, the door opened and the familiar face of Giovanni entered the throne room and the rich man approached 'his' king, holding some sort of letter within his hands. More or less, Giovanni had become the 'right hand' of Cyrus, although Giovanni wanted to be independent.

Cyrus raised an eyebrow, because it had been days since something notable happened.

"I allow you to speak!" Cyrus ordered.

"My king, we finally got the confirmation that the plan at the east border of the region could be executed as soon as you're ready." Giovanni announced before he handed the king the letter and the latter begun to read. The mouth of Cyrus formed into a smile and the king seemed to be ready.

"It took them long enough, but we still need to see how much time we need for the education of our soldiers." Cyrus added, falling back into his throne.

"Excuse me sire, but what will happen to the carriage and its cargo? It's already within the warehouse for several days and we still need to get it into the palace. However, it's difficult to suppress the noises that come fro its inside." Giovanni explained, knowing that their plan was delayed. It started with this stupid thief-guild that didn't cause the fire tat was supposed to distract the citizens long enough.

"We have some time for that, but at first we need to concentrate on the war. Unfortunately, we don't have the money to finance such an event; therefore we need to force Lance to tell us the location of his treasure chamber." Cyrus explained.

"Should we try again to execute a citizen in front of him?" Giovanni asked.

"It's too soon and we can risk a stupid revolution like last time. After two years, we shouldn't worry about some weeks or a month …." Cyrus knew that their plan would pay off sooner than later.

Giovanni bowed before he walked to the entrance gate of the throne room again.

"Oh and Giovanni, greet your lovely daughter from me." Cyrus smirked.

Not responding, Giovanni left the throne room and entered the corridor where of course, his daughter already waited for him. It didn't matter how lovely Jesse was, because she was ten times more annoying and the busy father already knew what she was going to ask.

"Dad, Dad, Dad, Dad, Dad, Dad!" Jesse immediately behaved like a ten year old, although she was almost eighteen.

Giovanni sighed and actually, he didn't want to answer.

"Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!" Jesse was one of those girls who would keep on annoying someone until she would get what she wanted.

"What?" Giovanni replied without any patience in the world.

"Where's my Pikachu?" Jesse asked, crossing her arms and demanding an explanation why she didn't have her new 'pet' now.

"I already told you that Kanto is the only region with a Pokémon called Pikachu, but it's quite difficult to trade with this stupid region, sweetie." Giovanni explained, indicating the future war between the two regions.

"I want it now!" Jesse demanded, puffing up her cheeks.

"Listen, as soon as we 'opened' the border of the Kanto kingdom, you can have as many Pikachus as you want." Giovanni hoped that the word many would calm his daughter down.

"You promise?" Jesse asked sweetly.

"Of course, but now go and prepare for your dance lesson, so that you can amaze Duke James with your abilities." Giovanni pushed his daughter gently into the direction of the dance hall and the father hoped that it was worth it to invest so much time into his daughter.

Jesse skipped happily to the hall, not knowing that her wish would need hundred of victims.

* * *

It was quiet within the old thief-guild and the aura Pokémon Lucario still wondered how his master was doing on his mission. Moreover, the aura user needed to think about a punishment after he couldn't keep May within the house.

Luckily, Ash's mission shouldn't need too much time. Actually, he should return tomorrow evening or the morning after it. Unfortunately, whether Ash or Lucario knew how the situation was at the opencast mining.

Using his time, Lucario looked at this 'gun' and the aura Pokémon wondered how it should work at all, because there was no sign how you should stretch something here like it was with a bow or crossbow.

"What's the secret of it …" Lucario wondered, although he wasn't as smart as Da Vinci.

If Lucario wanted to solve some problem, it could take up to multiple hours until he would give up. On the other hand, Lucario didn't have much to do either, because the whole house was cleaned up and without Ash, there wasn't a reason to cook too much.

Suddenly, the door opened quickly.

Lucario immediately jumped to his feet and was ready to take the fight. According to the 'guest's aura', it wasn't someone from the royal guard and somehow, it seemed that this aura was unique in some way.

Stepping into this hideout, the guest looked to the sides before he kept his attention on the Pokémon.

"A Pokémon as a guard? How pathetic …" The guest said before he took a chair next to the table.

Lucario still aimed for this mysterious person, because he wore dark clothes and his face was covered by a hood. Thinking twice, Lucario assumed that this could be an assassin, but there was no way that he would lose his caution now.

"Who are you?" Lucario demanded, bending his arms o the back to create an Aurasphere if he had to.

"I don't talk with servants!" The shadow answered. "Where's Ash?"

Lucario stopped with his attack and the blue Pokémon wondered why the heck this man knew his master. Moreover, this guest knew Ash's real name and there weren't a lot of individuals within this city that knew it anyway. It was just Lucario, May, Dawn and Chris, therefore this stranger had to encounter at least one of them.

"Who wants to know?" Lucario countered.

"Stupid Pokémon." The guest replied. "Either you tell me where he is or I want look for him!"

Again, Lucario was ready to take the fight to this man and the aura user wouldn't give information about his master away like that.

"Spare me with your idiotic attempts to stop me, Pokémon! I'm an assassin and don't have a problem to put you out!" Paul explained harshly, showing that his patience was rather short.

Lucario looked at this person and indeed, he looked like a black version of an assassin.

Suddenly, Paul showed the Pokémon a small cloth with the symbol of the assassins and due to the rule, Lucario had to believe him. Nevertheless, the aura Pokémon wouldn't be less careful now, but on the other hand, he was more than curios

"My master isn't here at the moment." Lucario explained, not giving too much information away.

"Still on his suicide mission, I guess, huh?" Paul smirked, knowing that Ash's battle wasn't very promising.

"At least, he tries to change something unlike you!" Lucario would defend his master's honor and the aura Pokémon didn't know what he should think about this situation. Paul was perhaps an assassin, but his guild was destroyed and for the past two years, he hadn't done anything.

"Change something? How pathetic …" Paul shook his head.

Lucario was mad at that man, but he wouldn't break the creed and attack a fellow assassin, no matter how stupid he was.

"I'll come back tomorrow evening!" Paul announced before he stood up again, leaving Lucario in oblivion why he wanted to find Ash so desperately. "Of course, only if he's still alive then."

With those words, the black assassin vanished again and the aura-type was more than confused.

Although, Paul always insulted Ash in some way, it seemed that Paul wanted to meet Lucario's master once more because of some reason. Nevertheless, the aura Pokémon wanted to know how this man could find their hideout that easily.

* * *

Tracey and Ash rode the whole day until they reached their destination point. Of course, they could rent a room within a restaurant, but Ash preferred the nature at this point. On the one hand, it wasn't allowed to bring Pokémon into a guest room and on the other hand, it would look weird to carry an unconscious girl into a room.

Stopping his horse between some trees, Ash sighed when the sun reached the horizon.

"Are you sure that you want to camp outside?" Tracey didn't like the idea, because there was still the possibility that the thieves followed them and the group would be an easy target for their bows and crossbows.

"It's not the first time that I do that, Da Vinci." Ash said when he jumped off the back of his Rapidash.

"Okay, perhaps I should thank you that you saved me from those thieves anyway …" Tracey knew that he had luck.

Pikachu jumped to the ground as well and like always, the rodent inspected the surroundings to assure that they were alone within this place. It was his normal routine and the electro-type liked it to be useful for his master and friend.

Ash then lifted May from the horse before he felt the pain in his leg again that was even more increased due to the bolt that still stuck in his upper thigh. Putting the girl over his shoulder, Ash needed to lay her down somewhere before he would built a campfire for the night.

"Could you please take care of May?" Tracey requested.

"I already do." Ash answered, although he forgot that Tracey didn't mean the girl.

"Uh .. I mean my Rapidash .." Tracey said confused before he realized that Ash meant the girl. "So, her name is May as well?"

Ash was slightly caught of guard and the assassin cursed himself for being so stupid. On the other hand, Tracey wasn't one of those individuals who could do much with name and the assassin nodded at the question, confirming the girl's name.

"Is she your fiancée?" Tracey asked.

"Don't be stupid, Da Vinci." Ash said harshly. "You should know that we assassin don't marry."

"Oh, I forgot …" Tracey apologized, but nevertheless, he sensed some sort of connection between those two. It didn't have to be romantic, but at least, there presence seemed to need each other.

Putting the girl against a tree, Ash needed to take care of the real problems now. At first, he had to find some firewood before he needed to treat his wound on his leg. Normally, Lucario examined Ash's wounds, but sometimes, the assassin needed to do it on his own.

Pikachu came back from his small inspection and the rodent worried about the girl.

Tracey sighed, because they didn't have any food anymore and the inventor wasn't the best at getting new food within a forest. It would be dark soon and the village was only several hundred feet away, but to walk to it on his own was something that the artist didn't want to do.

Suddenly, Tracey was hit by an apple on his head and the famous artist was almost knocked out.

"Try to stay focused, Da Vinci!" Ash shouted from the edge of the camp and the assassin already gathered the firewood. Moreover, he also found some apples and once more, he showed that it couldn't harm to know something about the life in the woods.

Shaking his head, Ash built a campfire and soon, they had a warm camp within the forest.

The sun disappeared completely behind the horizon and the night started. Unfortunately, the temperatures fell down as well and the brunette girl didn't wear much and Pikachu pleaded his master to carry May closer to the fire.

" …. " Ash hesitated, because he didn't want to be caught within this conflict again.

Once more, Pikachu pleaded him and finally, the assassin stood up before he dragged the girl closer to the fire where he laid her carefully onto her side. Due to the lack of their equipment, Ash and Tracey didn't have any covers or extra cloths.

Sitting down at his tree again, Ash hoped that his rodent would stop now.

Eventually, Ash looked at his thigh and he saw that the majority of the bolt was still within his flesh. Although, he had done it multiple times already, Ash hated it to treat his own wounds like that and this time, he couldn't use his aura for the healing.

However, Lucario told him that it was important to clean and disinfect a wound immediately, so it won't cause a disease. At first, Ash needed to remove the wood and the assassin grabbed the top of the bolt with his fingers before he pulled on it.

It hurt like hell and the raven-haired boy realized that it wouldn't get better if he did it slowly. With one quick movement, Ash removed the bolt from his leg, several drops of blood covered the ground, and this startled the artist more than less.

Normally, Tracey would offer help, but the artist didn't like to see blood at all.

The wound was opened up, the blood dropped to the ground, and now, Ash had to close it somehow again. Unfortunately, Ash didn't have a needle and the assassin wasn't good at stitching anyway, leaving only one way to prevent an infection.

"Tracey, do you have gunpowder?" Ash asked without much hope.

"Uh .. Yeah, but it's not much …" Da Vinci replied, pulling out a small bag. "Why do you need it? Normally, I use it for experiments."

Ash didn't answer and the assassin took that small bag before he ripped a larger hole into his trousers to prevent that his skin would be burned. Ash took a deep breath, because it would hurt, it would really hurt.

Putting the gunpowder onto the wound, Ash prepared for a treatment that master Oak taught him years ago. According to him, assassins needed to rise above pain and that everything was needed to be able to finish a mission.

Tracey gulped when he realized what the raven-haired killer wanted to do.

Hopefully, Ash wouldn't need to scream in pain. Taking a small twig with a small flame, Ash bit on his lips before he ignited the gunpowder within his wound.

**End of chapter!**

* * *

**That's chapter eighteen and let's hope that it was good enough. Like always, it's difficult to separate Ash and May, but it should create some moments that could define their future and the future will contain some nice events. One more, this story is difficult to write, not just alone because of the amount of words per chapter. **

**Some facts for explanation: **

**- Tracey's carriage was chased by several thieves and who knows if they wanted more than just Da Vinci's equipment**

**- May hid in the back of the carriage**

**- Ash was thrown off the carriage at some point before he reentered it after he stole a Rapidash from one of those thieves**

**- A flaming arrow of thieves ignited the carriage**

**- The chase leaded to a cliff with only a small road**

**- Ash's upper thigh was pierced due to a bolt**

**- They couldn't stop the carriage because they were too fast and it was too dangerous to stop within the small road**

**- May passed out within the carriage after she was paralyzed due to a traumatic reaction**

**- Ash saved May**

**- Cyrus and Giovanni talked about a war between Kanto and Hoenn**

**- Paul visited Lucario, but left before they could get know each other better**

**- Ash, Tracey and May camp in front of the village where Tracey has to draw the portrait of a noble's daughter**

**- May's still unconscious**

**Ash's attempt to be away from May failed, but the assassin still need to infiltrate the opencast mining and the girl would only be a burden for that. **

**Please don't flame (Advanceshipping and minor Ikarishipping)!**

**Please review!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Let's go on with chapter 19, but it seems that the story lost much of its charm and it's unlikely that new readers will like it at all. It's perhaps the most unique Ash and May story ever, but its rating could harm its popularity. This time it's important that you ready slowly, because you need to try to understand the situation. **

**Rated M for: **Violence, murder, blood, swearing, death, torture, bad language, bloody injuries, minor sexual content

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon or elements of Assassin's Creed**

**R&R!**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

As soon as Ash put the flame onto the gunpowder, a flash fire went through Ash's wound and the assassin clutched with his hands into the ground. After only two seconds, the flame was gone, but the pain was still there. Like predicted, there wasn't any blood anymore that dropped to the ground and Ash's wound only smelt burnt.

It was an ugly pain, because it hurt so much as if you put your hand into the campfire, but unlike that scenario, Ash couldn't withdraw from the heat.

Shutting his eyes, Ash tried to use the meditating advices that master Oak taught him years ago. At first, it didn't work, because it was more than difficult to concentrate one moment.

Tracey knew much about the human body, but he thought that there had been a limit of pain that a person could handle. Once more, Tracey realized that assassins really only lived for one thing and that was their credo.

Pikachu looked unsurely to its master. During the last few days, the rodent couldn't prevent a single time that his master was hurt and the mouse felt bad because of that. Moreover, without Lucario, Pikachu was the only partner of Ash now and even the rodent knew that Tracey wouldn't and shouldn't help them with their quest.

Due to the light of the campfire, Tracey could throw a look onto Ash's face and it wasn't possible to read Ash's emotion right now. One part of him seemed to curse the pain, but with one eye, he was looking towards the brown-haired girl near the fire.

May hadn't moved so far and perhaps someone should look for her, because it wasn't smart to ignore too much smoke within the lungs.

"What's with the girl?" Tracey asked curiously.

Ash lifted his head and stared at the artist, because it was Ash's duty again to care for her. If Ash had known that the girl would follow him, he would have allowed Lucario to come along as well. The assassin wondered anyway what his aura Pokémon was doing and he hoped that nothing happened so far.

" … " Ash didn't answer when he was lost in his thoughts.

"What do we do with her?" Tracey asked again and this time, Ash sighed before he turned towards the forest. It was obvious that there was no way now to send her back to Petalburg, but she couldn't stay with him all the time.

"She will assist you." Ash answered casually, seemingly expecting that there shouldn't be any problems with that.

"What?" Tracey didn't got the message the first time, because Ash's answer was so short and not really filled with information.

After the pain was almost gone, at least as long as Ash wouldn't move, Ash took a deep breath to explain his plans for the next day.

"Like I said, she'll assist you with your drawing. I'm sure that you can need a helping hand and she isn't a spoiled brat, therefore she won't complain much about some work. Just make sure that she's not out of your eyeshot and treat her well." Ash said coherently.

"Why don't you take her with you?" Tracey asked puzzled.

Ash glared to the inventor, showing alone with his look what he thought about this idea. Even if Da Vinci didn't know Ash's current mission, he should know that an assassin couldn't need a defenseless onlooker like that girl.

"Who's she anyway?" Tracey couldn't suppress his thirst for knowledge.

Ash didn't reply immediately, because he didn't know much either. Apparently, May was an orphan with Giovanni as her stepfather, but that was more or less everything that Ash knew from her and actually, it was enough. First he didn't want to think much about her, but Tracey's question leave the assassin in a state of uncertainty.

Once again, Tracey didn't got an answer and the artist wasn't sure about the whole situation.

A long silence enveloped the scene.

It didn't bother Ash much that the girl hadn't moved since he found her, but it seemed that she breathed constantly and that was at least something good.

Slowly but surely, May got back the feeling in her arms and legs, but she didn't open her eyes at first until she noticed a weird heat. It wasn't the heat of the sun and she couldn't tell whether she was sitting or laying. Nevertheless, it felt comfortable and she just thought that she still laid in her bed within Ash's hideout.

Suddenly, a quick breeze touched her skin and the girl shivered slightly.

Being more observant than his master, Pikachu noticed the movement of the girl and the rodent positioned himself in front of her to see if she was alright. May's eyelids moved slightly before she eventually opened her eyes to spot the familiar face of the yellow mouse.

"Pikachu? …." May said quietly and the rodent lifted happily a paw to show her that everything was alright.

The brown-haired orphan smiled weakly before she looked around the Pokémon and unfortunately, she saw the campfire and the sight of the flames frightened her more than everything else at the moment.

She already had two dangerous experiences with fires and she couldn't bear the sight of those flames that reminded her on everything that she had lost. During the first few seconds, she was paralyzed like in the carriage, but now she wanted to get away from those deadly flames, she just wanted to get away from them.

Turning her face away from the flames, May stood up before she ran away from the camp without even seeing the two other individuals. Being pushed by her fear, the brunette entered the woods, although a restless Pikachu called for her.

After he had been lost in his thoughts for the last few minutes, Ash heard his rodent and the assassin looked to the place where the girl should be, but she wasn't there anymore, just a rodent that looked at his master with pleading eyes.

The raven-haired killer didn't start to panic and he only changed his facial expression slightly.

Apparently, Da Vinci seemed to read something, a letter or a book.

It seemed for Pikachu that his master wouldn't try to follow the girl and this was unacceptable for the smaller creature. Of course, the mouse was just a follower of his master, but that didn't mean that he couldn't remind his master what was important.

Running to the assassin, the yellow rodent almost pleaded him to follow May, because it was dangerous to be alone, especially when you consider that the open-cast mining of the templar wasn't far away and it could end bad if the brunette 'entered' the area without permission.

Ash didn't move and just leaned against the tree.

Taking more action, the rodent pulled on his master' clothes, but the assassin still didn't think about the possibility to follow the brunette. There was only one way to get the attention of the assassin and although Pikachu didn't like it, he bit the raven-haired killer into his leg.

It was difficult to ignore that, but Ash slowly but surely felt disrespected by his follower.

The whole pleading of the rodent eventually caught the attention of the artist as well and Tracey also noticed that the girl wasn't there anymore. Seeing it as his duty, the inventor put his letter to the side to inform his 'guard' about their missing member.

"Where's May?" Tracey asked with a concerned voice, because he didn't wish anyone any pain.

"Your Rapidash is over there …." Ash played the clueless individual.

"I don't mean my Pokémon, but that girl. Where's she?" Tracey was intelligent enough to know that the girl didn't go away for a walk.

Ash couldn't hear it anymore. It wasn't his duty to care for her and it was her own fault that she followed him anyway, so he shouldn't have a bad conscience, should he? Once more, the yellow electro-type bit into the leg of his master and it became too much to ignore.

With a quick move, Ash pushed his rodent away, so that he always flew against a tree. It was rare that the assassin put hand on his own Pokémon, but the situation was already difficult enough for the assassin who was caught between his duties as assassin and the fate that he shared with the brunette.

Tracey was slightly shocked to see that the raven-haired individual attacked his own partner, but he wouldn't interfere in problems among 'assassins'.

Pikachu was even more shocked and the rodent didn't understand what was wrong with his master.

Finally standing up, Ash bit on his lip, because his wound on his leg still hurt very much. Of course, he didn't become weak and would follow that girl, but even he knew that it was dangerous for his mission if the girl was caught by the templar. It wasn't even the girl, but rather the fact that the security measures would be increased.

One part of him wanted to apologize to his rodent, but the other part knew that he had to act like an assassin and that meant that he needed to be the one who decided.

"Don't forget who the master is!" Ash said sternly towards his Pokémon before she slowly limped into the forest.

The yellow mouse lowered his head and he knew that they were assassins. They weren't allowed to catch attention, even if it cost the life of an individual. In the end, the rodent had to accept that they needed to follow the creed and that was everything that mattered.

Tracey followed the incident and the inventor realized that this assassin had to deal with more problems than he was able to reveal to other individuals.

* * *

There wasn't much light within the forest and the moonlight didn't reach the ground, because it was already blocked by the leaves of the trees. Without knowledge about the environment, a lonely person wouldn't find a way out of the woods.

Still being under shock, May dashed through the woods without knowing what she was doing. She only wanted to be away from those flames, those damn flames that destroyed everything in their path and the brunette couldn't forget the past events.

Nevertheless, her physical condition wasn't the best after she inhaled a lot of smoke and soon, she couldn't run any longer. Coughing heavily, the orphan panted, she needed fresh air and soon she had stopped completely within the forest.

At least, the moment of shock was over and she had some seconds to gather her thoughts.

Still resting her hands on her legs, May bend over and she didn't have a clue that she was alone.

Slowly but surely, she could breath normally and after a few more seconds, she was able to lift her upper body up again. At first, she was relieved that she wasn't within the burning carriage anymore, but unfortunately, she even ran away from the only Pokémon that she knew outside of Petalburg.

It took her some seconds to realize what she had done.

After she fully realized that she was somewhere in nowhere, May turned slowly around in hope to see a familiar face, but she already feared that she wouldn't see anyone that meant something to her. There wasn't Dawn, Eevee, Chris, not even Ash or Pikachu.

Her fear of the fire was replaced with the fear of being alone.

"Pikachu? …." May said quietly, hoping that the rodent would be somewhere close to her, but there wasn't a mouse and it didn't come one after a few seconds.

"Ash? …." May knew at the bottom of her heart that Ash saved her from the burning carriage.

Unfortunately, the raven-haired hero wasn't here as well and the brunette didn't want to accept that she was once more alone. She didn't want to accept that Ash wasn't the person that would free her from that life that she knew half her life.

Clenching her fist in front of her chest, May wanted to find them again, because she hated the loneliness more than everything else. Suppressing her fear, May slowly started to put one foot in front of the other and she walked into direction that seemed to be friendlier than the other ones.

Under normal circumstances, she would give up, but she had reasons to find the way back and the thought of Eevee, Pikachu and Dawn gave her some willpower to bear the loneliness at the moment.

After a few minutes within the darkness, May could swear that she saw some sort of light at the end of her way, although she couldn't say whether it was from a campfire or another resource. As long as she could be sure that she had a decent distance to the flames, May could control her fear and at the moment, she just wanted to be close to someone that she trusted.

The brighter the light became the faster May ran towards that location and she wouldn't leave it again, because no fire could harm her as long as Ash was with her.

Smiling, May's hopes reached new heights and the brunette looked forward to her reunion with her 'friends'. Shortly before she was going to call for Ash, May heard a strange voice and although it was quiet and far away, she knew that it wasn't the voice of Ash or another familiar individual. Her enthusiasm turned into caution and the orphan slowly approached the 'camp' even more.

Now and then, she heard this creepy voice again and the brown-haired girl shivered. Unfortunately, her caution now turned into fear again and she stopped behind a bush to look at the scene. Being only thirty feet away from the scenario, May saw five men.

She didn't do much to hide, but as of now, she wasn't recognized.

Two of those men were kneeling on the ground and it seemed that their hands were tied up behind their backs, making it rather unlikely that all five men were on the same page. The rest of the group stood around the two individuals and two of them held some kind of lamp in her hand to provide their third member with light.

Completely under shock, May didn't know what she should do and she couldn't withdraw her gaze from that group. She just stood at the edge of the clearing, watching what would coming next.

"Please! I didn't do it on purpose!" One of the kneeling men explained desperately and it seemed that he was at the edge of tears.

"Shut up!" The standing man without a lamp replied harshly before he kicked the troublemaker into his chest to silence him.

Keeping his mouth shut, the 'prisoner' sobbed loud enough to be heard by the 'guards'. Of course, they started to laugh at this coward and it would be a pleasure for them to punish this guy.

"You're accused of stealing gold from the mining during your work." The 'leader' of the guards announced casually. "Are you or aren't you guilty?"

Actually, that was a rhetorical question, because as soon as you were accused, you were guilty anyway, at least in the eyes of those guards.

"I'm innocent!" The first prisoner replied with desperation. "I mined more gold than I could put into my buckets, so I put the rest into my pockets to bring it to the conveyor belt! No way that I would keep that gold for myself!"

"You still deny that you robbed King Cyrus, huh?" The guard replied, not taking notice of the plausible excuse from the prisoner. Strangely enough, the second prisoner seemed to know their fates and that there wasn't much hope right now.

"I told you that I didn't rob him!" The prisoner already cried his first tears.

The laughter of the two other guards became louder, because they loved it to intimidate individuals, especially some that couldn't defend themselves anymore.

May still looked with wide eyes at this scene and she didn't know whether she was dreaming or not, but she didn't like this scenario at all. Of course, she would love to help those prisoners, but May felt so hopeless when she was alone and it seemed as if she wasn't going anywhere in the near future.

Looking at the 'broken' man, the leader of the guards took something out of his pocket.

It was one of those iron pipes and they seemed to be rather new, but it wasn't very good to see those weapons in the hands of King Cyrus follower. Playing with the gun in his hand, the guard enjoyed the fear of the prisoner as much as he could.

"You know that it's lese-majesty to rob the king like that, right?" The guard asked another rhetorical question. "Moreover, I hope that you know what the punishment for this crime is."

The prisoner tried to stand up and ran away, but the two remaining guards held him in place for his punishment. It was a terrible atmosphere and it was almost like a nightmare for May, but unlike a nightmare, May wouldn't wake up.

"On the basis of your crime to rob our beloved king, you'll pay for it with your life!" The leader announced before he put the end of his gun at the forehead of the first prisoner who knew this weapon from other guards.

The prisoner sobbed more and more, but it didn't seem as if those guards knew something like pity.

"Any lasts words?" The prisoner granted his victim his lasts words before he would execute the punishment.

"Please ….. Show some pity …." The prisoner said during his sobbing.

That was it and the guard pulled the trigger of his gun, which resulted in a loud bang before the prisoner fell right onto his face.

The bang of the shot startled many bird Pokémon of the forest and Pidgeys, Taillows and other flew into the air. It was still night and every loud noise was audible within the forest, but seemingly, the guards didn't care, because it would teach the other workers a lesson.

Not moving anymore, the prisoner soon laid in a pool of blood that covered the ground under him. It was at least a painless death penalty, but the effects were done.

The brown-haired orphan couldn't believe what she witnessed right now and a loud shriek left her mouth that caught the attention of the guards. Although she immediately closed her mouth with her hands again, she was already noticed by the guards. Still under shock, the brunette couldn't move one inch and she feared what would happen next.

"Did you hear that?" One of those guards asked unsurely.

"That were just the stupid Pokémon." The leader replied, but not everyone had the same opinion.

"I'll look for that." The guard decided on his own before he approached the edge of the clearing to see who had shrieked there. Inch for inch, he came closer to the shocked girl and May knew that she wouldn't be lucky if she was found now.

Closing her eyes, May only hoped for a miracle.

Suddenly, she was caught from behind and someone covered her mouth with his hand before she was dragged behind a tree. All of that happened so fast and the brunette would have shrieked a second time if it wasn't the hand that covered her face. Out of instinct, May started to fight against the grip and eventually, she could remove the hand from her eyes before she looked up into the familiar face of a certain assassin who leaned against a tree.

Her mouth was still covered, so she couldn't tell him how relieved she was. On the other hand, however, she wanted to tell him that they needed to help the second prisoner before he would suffer a similar fate as the one of his friend.

This time it was Ash who didn't move an inch and the raven-haired individual tried to be invisible for the searching guard. Fortunately, the guard soon gave up and returned to his fellow guards to witness the second execution.

May tried again to remove Ash's hand, but she wasn't strong enough for that.

Meanwhile, the leader of the guards stood in front of the second prisoner and this time, he was actually slightly confused, because this prisoner didn't seem to fear his punishment. It wasn't much fun to punish someone who didn't beg for his life.

"What's wrong with you? Are you so afraid that you can't even move anymore?" The leader asked.

"It wouldn't change anything, because you assholes would torture and punish me anyway." The prisoner replied roughly, although he knew that he angered this man in front of him with every word that he said.

"Wash your mouth!" The guard said angrily before he put the end of his gun onto the forehead of the prisoner, but there wasn't any sign of fear.

"Any last words?" The guard said again, but it was just a mockery.

May couldn't bear the thought of another victim and the girl fought against Ash's grip again, because she wanted to plead him to help this poor man. Actually, she wondered anyway why Ash didn't do anything so far, because he was strong enough to took all three guards down. Unfortunately, she couldn't do anything and it tortured her to know that she had to witness another death.

The prisoner lifted his head before he smirked.

"All hail, King Lance! Motherfucker!" He replied calmly before he spat the guard in his face.

Like before, the guard pulled the trigger and the second execution was over. Unlike before, there weren't many bird Pokémon that flew away and it seemed that no one had seen them during their duty, so it was time to dispose of refuse and sewage.

May just closed her eyes and she hated it; she hated those guards, she hated the injustice and she hated Ash, because he didn't try to help those innocents. Some tears rolled down her cheeks and she didn't understand why humans did something like that to other humans.

Wiping the spat away from his face, the leader put his gun back into his pocket before he ordered his fellow guards to remove those bodies.

"Throw this scum into the river!" He ordered quickly and the two fellow guards took those bodies with them before they left the clearing in south direction. Finally, the terrible scene ended, but the damage on May was already done and the girl couldn't suppress her tears.

After Ash was sure that the guards were away, he released his grip on the girl.

As soon as she could move her arms and legs without problems, May turned around before she punched desperately Ash onto his chest. It were quick and strong punches, but the assassin knew that this girl didn't have enough stamina to continue like that.

Like predicted, she quickly slowed down before she placed her forehead onto the chest of the assassin. It was a similar scene as the one that happened shortly before Chris' planned execution where May pleaded the killer to save the father of her best friend.

Sobbing, May didn't know how she should deal with all the violence and injustice, because it seemed that the area around Petalburg was much worse than Petalburg itself. Of course, she didn't know much about the world outside of her home district, but she couldn't accept that something like that scene happened all the time.

Ash wasn't surprised that the brunette reacted like that, but she was nevertheless a burden for his mission.

"Why ….. *sob* … why didn't you help him?" May needed to know why Ash acted so heartless.

The assassin sighed, because he expected that the girl wouldn't understand it anyway. On the other hand, she needed to learn that it was a dangerous world and that she shouldn't walk naively through the woods like she did before.

"If I had been able to save everyone, I wouldn't even be an assassin." Ash replied emotionless.

May didn't understand Ash's words, although she felt that he didn't lie. It was a confusing world and the brunette wanted to help to protect it somehow, although she knew that she wasn't the strongest or most intelligent person out here.

The raven-haired assassin didn't like it that he had to comfort the girl again, because it would become more difficult with the minute to separate her from himself. On the other hand, she had lost her parents just like him and that was the main reason why he couldn't leave her alone right now.

Giving her some minutes, Ash started to fear that she could become a person that he didn't want to lose as well. It had been over ten years since his mother died and since then he had never had another person that was so important to him.

Banning those thoughts from his mind, the assassin knew that it was time to return to the camp.

Without words, Ash pushed May gently away before he motioned with a quick move of his head that they needed to leave.

The brunette knew that he was right, but there were still some tears that rolled down her cheek when she turned to the clearing again. It was a terrible experience and she hoped that she wouldn't need to witness another scene like that.

Apparently, Ash knew the way back to the camp and the killer slowly walked back to his group, because the wound on his leg wasn't getting any better.

Clinging to his arm, May wouldn't risk the chance that she could lose him.

Of course, the assassin didn't like this behavior at all, but he wasn't in the mood to argue with her about this, so he let her held his arm on their way back. Everything was quiet again and most birds sat within their trees again, so it was more or less everything normal.

Thinking about the whole situation, Ash didn't know whether or not, he should yell at the girl for following him to this place. At the moment, she was frightened enough and it wouldn't bring anything to scare her even more.

For the most of their way, they were completely silent, but May would have a bad conscience if she didn't thank him for taking her back to their camp. She was aware that the assassin didn't have a reason to protect her, so it gave the brunette some hope for her future that there was something between them.

"Thank you for saving me …." May said quietly, but Ash heard it nevertheless.

* * *

Tracey and Pikachu were still at the camp and both of them hoped that the assassin would return soon, although they had different reasons for that. The yellow rodent wouldn't forgive himself if his master was hurt and that he didn't follow him. Fearing the thieves and killers of that area, Tracey hoped to get his bodyguard back as soon as possible.

May and Ash were here, at least the Rapidashs namesakes of them. It was useful to have those horses with you, because they provided you with light and heat. Nevertheless, a real campfire couldn't harm, because it would be weird to cook food above a Rapidash's back.

Thinking about his lost inventions within his carriage, Tracey hoped that tomorrow wouldn't be that bad as today.

Not knowing what to do, Pikachu fought with the decision to follow his master.

Suddenly, they heard noises from the woods and Tracey almost fell onto his back due to that shock, but Pikachu made himself ready for a fight.

Eventually, Ash's silhouette appeared and the rodent lowered its ears again, but as soon as he saw May as well, the mouse became happy again. However, it was visible that the brunette saw something terrible and it wouldn't be smart to put her under pressure.

Seeing the complete camp for the first time, May realized that a small campfire caused her to run away like a little child. At the edge of their camp, May still clang to the assassin's arm and she didn't dare to release her grip on him, however, the killer then put his hands onto her shoulder before he pushed her gently into a sitting position on the ground.

Eventually, the girl loosened her grip on the boy, so that Ash could limp to his old place near a tree.

When she saw the artist, May became somewhat embarrassed, because she sneaked into his carriage without permission and she didn't know Da Vinci at all. Pulling her knees to her chest, the brunette waited until someone else would do something.

Fortunately, the yellow rodent, Pikachu, ran to the girl and it became once more visible that the yellow mouse liked that orphan very much. Scratching him behind the ear, May received a quiet coo from the electro-type Pokémon and she wondered how Eevee was, although Dawn would care very well for her at her house.

"Are you hungry?" Tracey asked casually.

May looked fearfully to the inventor, but she soon realized that the artist wasn't a bad person and her stomach growled silently. Not daring to say something at first, the brunette nodded quickly to show that she was indeed hungry.

They still had some apples and it wouldn't be a waste to give the girl some of them. Unlike Ash who would throw them to the girl, Tracey politely brought them to her before May accepted them from him with a smile.

Ash looked at them and he hoped that the artist and the girl could coexist tomorrow while he would need to finish his job at the open-cast mining.

Biting into the fruit, May wondered if her decision to follow them was bad, but on the other hand, she had enough to do nothing and wait for a change in her life. She then shared one of her apples with the mouse Pokémon next to her, but Pikachu first looked to his master, asking him silently for permission.

Ash just shrugged, showing that he didn't care much.

Apparently, Pikachu got the permission of his trainer and the rodent accepted the fruit from the girl before he ate it as well.

It was a very quiet atmosphere anyway, but no one wanted to talk about private stuff.

It was more or less time to sleep a few hours, but May didn't like the darkness behind her. It would be the first time that she would sleep outdoor and it wasn't as romantic as she knew it from her books that she read at home.

Almost like a shadow, Ash sat near the woods and the assassin didn't want to be disturbed again.

Tracey then brought the girl a cover, so that she could take a nap. There would be enough time tomorrow to know each other better, but after today, everyone needed a rest, especially May who wasn't used to traveling. Apparently, the cover seemed to be soft and warm and the brown-haired orphan remembered that her cover at her old home hadn't been that soft.

Returning to his own sleeping place, Tracey didn't waste much time to make himself a comfortable sleeping spot before he tried to sleep. Of course, he had dozens of questions within his head, but it wasn't the right time to ask the two individuals about their relationship.

Silently, May looked around, but eventually she looked to the one man that she liked more than anyone else. Strangely enough, the raven-haired killer still sat next to that tree and obviously, he didn't have a cover like May.

Again, she felt the distance between them and May didn't know how she could decrease it.

After some minutes, May decided to sleep and she laid onto her side before she placed the cover about her body. Closing her eyes, the brunette hoped that she would have nice dreams about him, but before she drifted off to sleep, she felt how a small Pokémon snuggled up to her belly and the girl didn't have anything against some company. At home, she always slept with a small Pikachu plush-toy, but now she had a real one that watched over her.

Enjoying the warmth of the campfire, May tried to forget the terrible events from today.

Unaware to her, May didn't notice that Ash looked at her during her sleep, but the raven-haired trainer wasn't perverted, not at all.

Ash hoped for her that she would find a home someday, although he didn't dare to think that she could live with him, especially not with his current standards of living. Not thinking more about it, the assassin closed his eyes, but he didn't sleep at all. It was his duty to keep an 'eye' on the surroundings, so that they wouldn't become victims of an assault.

The campfire crackled quietly and the night marched on …..

* * *

It wasn't even past seven when May slowly opened her eyes and the brunette needed some moments to remember that she was within the woods. Out of reflex, she pulled her cover over her face, but soon, she realized that something was missing. Peeking out from her cover, the girl saw that the yellow electro-type wasn't at her side anymore.

Within a second, May sat up and she had a bad feeling about the situation.

The campfire was extinguished and only some smoke reminded her on the previous night. At the other end of the camp, she saw how Tracey packed some utensils into his backpack and the artist didn't seem to notice that the brunette was awake.

After she listened to some Pidgeys for a while, May turned her head to the tree where Ash was sitting last night. Unfortunately for her, the assassin wasn't there anymore and there wasn't a trace of Pikachu as well, leaving her only with Tracey.

"Oh! You're awake." Tracey noticed his 'as assistant' for the day, although May didn't know anything about this.

"Where's Ash?" May asked unsurely.

Tracey was slightly confused, because he didn't know the name of the assassin and it would weird if the girl knew the names of his Rapidashs. Nevertheless, he knew that the girl meant the raven-haired killer and not his Pokémon, so that he finally knew the names of everyone.

"I fear that you missed him. He and his Pokémon left the camp an hour ago." Tracey revealed casually before he put his backpack onto his back. It was still a way to the village of the man and his daughter, so he shouldn't waste any time to get there. At first, he would need to buy new utensils that he would need for a portrait.

May immediately removed the cover and she couldn't believe that the assassin left her alone.

"Where did they go?" May asked desperately.

"I don't know and I respect Ash's decision to keep it a secret. It's important for his brotherhood that he fulfills his quests without much trouble, but he gave me some money, so that I can buy you lunch and dinner for today." Da Vinci explained what Ash said to him before he left the camp into south direction, but the brown-haired girl wasn't very happy about that.

The orphan played with the thought to look for Ash on her own, but she knew that she was helpless within the woods and in the worst case, she would destroy Ash' quest. She could never forgive herself if she caused some harm to him.

"Do you want to ride on Ash or May?" Tracey chuckled a bit because of his Rapidashs' names.

"Did he say something before he left?" May asked eagerly, because she wanted to know when she would see him again. It wasn't in her interest to spend the rest of her days with the artist.

"He said that you should assist me during my job and that I shouldn't let you out of my eyeshot. Don't worry! I won't force you to do anything that you aren't comfortable with." Da Vinci explained, although it wasn't much information.

At the moment, she didn't have another choice than to follow Tracey to that village.

The brunette then walked to one of the Rapidashs and she didn't know whether she was a good rider or not.

"You want to ride on Ash then, right? Actually, I should have known it." Tracey chuckled and his joke caused May to blush heavily. She didn't want to be known as a girl that only wanted one thing.

Climbing onto the back of the horse, May wasn't sure how to ride such a Pokémon.

"Just do the same thing as me!" Tracey explained before he shook the reins of his horse, so that it clip-clopped over the ground. It was a majestic Pokémon and it was an honor to ride a Pokémon like that, but May was still very fearful.

Fourteen years ago, she rode on a small Ponyta during a carnival in Petalburg, but unlike now, that horse was leaded by another man. It was a complete other experience now, but the brunette tried to copy Tracey's movements.

She seemed to be a natural, because 'Ash' did exact the same as Tracey's horse.

Giggling, May was proud and the girl patted the horse onto his back.

After that, she followed Tracey along the road and they would soon reach the small village of Tracey's client. Despite her cooperation, the orphan didn't stop to think about Ash and she hoped at the bottom of her heart that he would pick her up during that day.

"Be careful, Ash …." May whispered into the wind.

* * *

Some miles away from the camp, Ash and Pikachu wandered through the woods on their search for the mining. It wasn't easy for the raven-haired boy to leave the girl behind, but he knew that Tracey was a nice person that wouldn't leave her alone.

It was still dawn and this was always the best time of the day for an assassin.

_Those guards yesterday …. They said that they caught those prisoners while they were stealing gold …. It seems that this mining is more important than I thought, but on the other hand, the workers there are innocent individuals that don't follow King Cyrus …. It could be difficult to eliminate the right men there …. _Ash thought about yesterday's event and what he learned about the guards of this location.

The yellow rodent sat on his shoulder and Pikachu hoped that the girl wouldn't be mad at them for leaving her alone with Tracey. It was just safer for her to stay out of this mission, because there was never a guarantee that you would come back alive. Trusting his nose, the mouse tried to sense any form of unusual scent.

At the moment, they slowly climbed onto a hill that should provide them with a better view of this location. Fortunately, Ash was very good at climbing and he wouldn't have a problem to use trees to his advantage, but at first, he needed to find this damn mining.

At one point, Ash almost slipped on the ground, but he was lucky enough to catch a branch of a tree.

"That was close …" Ash admitted, but he had experienced a lot of those moments since he became an assassin.

It took him a while to reach the top of the hill, but eventually, he couldn't see much either. There were just too many trees that blocked his field of vision, but the assassin always knew how to correct this good enough.

Looking for the tallest tree, Ash started to climb and it took a lot of his strength. In addition, his wound at his leg annoyed him a lot, but that shouldn't be a reason to slow down, especially not now when he had to find his target. Actually, the first three meters of the tree weren't that difficult, but after that, Ash needed to jump some feet without the hold of a branch.

After he jumped, Ash hang with both hands onto a branch before he pulled himself up, so that he reached one-half of the tree' height. During this 'stunt', Pikachu tried to be as light as possible and the yellow mouse knew that his master wouldn't need another fall from this height.

Standing between a fork, Ash needed to decide which side would be better and in the end, he climbed up the left side where he found hold at a horizontally branch. Slowly but surely, he could look over some trees, but he still needed to climb higher.

The crackle noises of some branches didn't sound very good, but Ash always had been a risk taker.

Like usual, Ash felt how the adrenalin went though his veins and he couldn't deny that he liked this feeling. It would be impossible to be an assassin without adrenalin, although some 'stunts' weren't so appealing anymore after Ash had done them multiple times.

Pikachu looked down and the rodent assumed that they were thirty feet in the air now.

Eventually, Ash couldn't climb any higher and the assassin tried to find a position on the tree that allowed him to overlook the whole location. Standing on a thinner branch, Ash leaned against am even thinner branch, but it didn't seem that they would break anytime soon.

Looking into the distance, the assassin saw that the sun was rising, but that wasn't the reason that he climbed up that tree. At least, the cold of the night slowly disappeared and the inhabitants of the forest woke up as well.

Looking closely, the raven-haired killer tried to find a hint that would lead him to that mining. Unfortunately, he didn't find anything, but trees and the assassin cursed his bad luck that he had today, however, Pikachu wasn't so unlucky ad the rodent pointed to an area that seemed to be two miles away.

Ash had very good eyes, but he wasn't a hawk or an eagle, so it was difficult for him to recognize anything in the distance. Fortunately, he could see some smoke and some kind of bigger forge within a big clearing. According to Lucario, there shouldn't be anything near that mining and that meant that there was a big chance that Ash found it.

"Let's annoy some templar …" Ash whispered.

**End of chapter!**

* * *

**That's chapter nineteen so far and I hope that you try to follow the character development of Ash and May. There wasn't much action this time, but I wanted to show how complicated the relationship between Ash and May is. **

**It's a challenging story, right? Actually, the readers need to remember certain events from previous chapters in order to come to a certain conclusion and you can be proud if you are able to follow the events. **

**Some things for understanding: **

**- May developed a fear of fire**

**- She ran away from the camp, because she believed that she was still within the burning carriage before she realized that she wasn't**

**- Ash tried to care as less as possible for her**

**- May and Ash witnessed the execution of two workers of the open-cast mining, but they weren't noticed at all**

**- Ash's slightly handicapped with his wound, but that's nothing new**

**- Ash and Pikachu left the cam before May woke up**

**- May follows Tracey to the village, although she wanted to be with Ash**

**- Ash wanders through the woods in search for the mining**

**Like I said, the story emphasizes on character development, but that doesn't mean that I won't include adventure, action or romance. **

**Please don't flame! (Advanceshipping and minor Ikarishipping)**

**Please review!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Another story that reached 20 chapters, but apparently, that's normal for me. Finally, Ash found the opencast mining, but it won't be that easy though and our raven-haired assassin is destined to reveal the templar conspiracy. **

**Story is rated M for: **Blood, murder, death, assassination, weapons, bloody injuries, swearing, torture, bad language, executions, and minor sexual content

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon or Assassin's Creed**

**R&R!**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

"According to Lucario, the open-cast mining is the reason why the templar have so much money to pay their projects in Petalburg … hmm …" Ash said to the yellow rodent on his shoulder, still standing on the top of that tree.

Pikachu nodded slightly, looking into the distance.

Suddenly, there was a weird noise and the assassin looked around to see the reason for that, but he couldn't spot anything that seemed suspicious. At first, he needed to climb down the tree before he could start his way to the mining.

When he climbed down to the next branch, it broke and the assassin needed to climb back to the top.

Ash didn't like it at all that his electro-type chuckled silently, but he could assume what his partner wanted to tell him.

"Dare you if you think that I'm fat!" Ash glared at his Pokémon. "You aren't that thin anymore, too."

Looking for another way, the assassin saw that another tree wasn't that far away from his position and it wouldn't be unusual for him to jump to other trees though. Secretly, Ash hoped that Lucario would need Pidgeot; otherwise, it would have been a wasted chance.

Hesitating, the assassin was aware that he couldn't risk another injury.

Pikachu clung to Ash's shoulder when his master jumped to the next tree. Apparently, it wasn't that difficult for the assassin who reached the branch of the next tree without problem.

"Who's fat now?" Ash said teasingly.

One second later and the branch of Ash broke before the assassin fell several feet down. Fortunately, another branch prevented him to fall to the ground, but the impact was big enough to hurt the raven-haired boy.

Unlike him, Pikachu could leave Ash's shoulder in time when he jumped onto another branch.

After several bumps, Ash finally 'reached' the ground and fortunately, the ground was covered with moss that softened his fall slightly. It wasn't the most elegant way to come down, but at least, he saved some minutes with that.

Step by step, the yellow rodent approached the ground and he hoped that Ash wouldn't need too much help.

Although Ash felt the pain, he knew that it wasn't the best way to start like that again. As an elite assassin, he should always found a way to his target, but as of late, he had been very sloppy and clumsy with much of his attempts.

Lifting his upper body up, Ash was relieved that he didn't break any of his bones.

After the mouse reached the ground, it smirked towards his master and Ash knew what his rodent was thinking, but Ash wasn't fat. Actually, he only got more muscles due to that poison two days ago that almost killed him.

"Perhaps master Oak should start to educate the assassins in tree-climbing as well, because trees are completely different to buildings …." Ash explained, moving slightly to shake off his pain.

The rodent agreed, but they would need to wait with their improvement suggestions until they finished their mission. At least, they knew that the mining wasn't too far away, but they needed to be quiet nevertheless. It was always possible that some guards patrolled along the border of the location and Ash couldn't be sure what to do.

After he stood up, Ash shrugged before he took another deep breath. Actually, he didn't want to think about May, but somehow she always found her way into his thoughts and the killer thought about her current situation.

Pikachu tried to jump onto Ash's shoulder, but the assassin took a step to the side.

"You would be happy about that, right?" Ash said sternly. "It couldn't harm for you to walk on your own as long as we are here."

The rodent was slightly pissed off, but he wouldn't argue with his master.

Still knowing the right way, Ash started to walk through the woods once again and his rodent followed him with a short distance. It was still early in the morning and most people probably still slept; therefore, Ash could have some luck with his current mission. After every hundred meters, Ash hid behind a tree before he looked for possible guards.

Unfortunately, the thought of May distracted him quite too often.

* * *

Unlike the assassin, May and Tracey rode with their Rapidashs along a well-built road towards the small village of Da Vinci's client. Despite their last night, both of them weren't tired at all and it shouldn't be difficult to finish the work on Tracey's portrait in one day.

Riding next to Tracey, May couldn't suppress her urge to ask the artist about everything.

"Could I ask you something?" May asked carefully, still being somewhat of shy towards others.

"Of course!" Da Vinci responded, still looking onto the road.

"Do you know what happens in Petalburg?" The brunette asked, hoping to get some information about the whole situation. During the last days in her house, she had experienced a lot of events that made her unsure about her future.

"What do you mean with 'happens'?" Tracey replied.

"Uh … you know that Ash is an assassin and of course, there's a reason that he's in our town. Apparently, there are some individuals that I know that play a part in all of this conspiracy and I don't want to be a clueless victim …" May asked seriously, although she didn't mention her stepfather Giovanni.

Tracey was slightly caught off guard, because he didn't know so much either. Moreover, he didn't know what he could tell the brunette without making Ash upset. On the other hand, he shouldn't prevent her to know about the situation, although it could be dangerous eventually to know about it.

"I'm sure that you know that a lot of things have changed since Cyrus became king of our kingdom. Due to his reign as king, a lot of organizations formed that want to increase the influence of the Hoenn kingdom, even if it means war against other regions. One of those organizations is the resurrected templar organization that influences many parts of the government of our town." Tracey explained coherently and May nodded slowly.

"The templar worked on their plan for the last few years, but now it seems that they aren't far away to reach their goal ….." Tracey said thoughtfully, not daring to think about the results of something like that.

"What is their goal?" May asked curiously.

"When I would know about it, then the templar wouldn't be very successful in covering it from us, would they?" Tracey replied.

"Does Ash need to kill Cyrus?" May asked question after question, but she should know that there were things that she shouldn't know, at least not yet.

"You shouldn't really think too much about it, girl. The less you know the safer you are and actually, Ash would kill me if he know about that conversation." Da Vinci answered, wanting to end this topic for good.

The brunette wasn't satisfied, but right now, Tracey and she reached the entrance of the small village.

"Finally, we are here." Trace said relieved, patting his horse onto her back.

May looked curiously around, because she hadn't been very often at other villages and towns, so it was very special to her. Apparently, the village consisted only of ten buildings, a fountain, a barn, a farm and several sheds that were everywhere within the village.

Actually, it was a great place for children to grow up and May wouldn't mind to raise a family in such a village. However, she couldn't think about her future, let alone a family now, so she concentrated on her present.

Riding along the village, May spotted several people that worked or talked outside.

"May, over here!" Tracey called for the girl and he pointed to a stable near to them.

Leading her Rapidash to the stable, May wondered whether Ash could find this village or not. As of now, she hadn't lost hope that Ash would come back for her eventually.

After both of them put their horses into the stable, it was time for them to find Tracey's client. At first, May caressed her Rapidash that shared its name with her crush and she would use it to find the assassin, but to be honest, she was completely helpless outside of her home town.

Looking onto a sheet of paper, Tracey looked for the description of the right house.

It was difficult to describe the curiosity of the brunette, because she even found that the smallest flower interesting. Of course, Dawn would be very jealous if May mentioned this day in front of her.

Finally, Da Vinci found a house that suited his description perfectly. Actually, he should have recognized him immediately, because it was the biggest house of the town and the person that sent for Tracey would need some money to pay for that portrait.

"Come on!" Tracey said before he and May walked to the house.

Some kids tried to catch each other when they chased each other around May's legs. It seemed that the brunette wasn't angry with them and she loved that children could still have fun despite the problems within her home town.

Few moments later, Tracey knocked on the door and the artist waited for a respond.

Although it took some moments, the door eventually opened and a man in his forties greeted the artist.

The man was a tall as Tracey and he had a brown beard, green eyes, short hair, and athletic body for his age. Moreover, he wore expensive-looking clothes for someone that lived in the countryside, but all in all, he seemed very sympathetic to them.

"Good morning, sir. I'm John Ryan and the householder of this building. With whom do I owe the honor?" Apparently, John didn't recognized Tracey at first, but it wasn't usual to know everyone of the region.

"I'm Tracey Da Vinci, Mister Ryan and I'm the artist that you sent for." Tracey bowed down to greet the man.

"Ah Mister Da Vinci!" Ryan's mouth turned into a smile and it was obvious that he was happy to welcome the artist. "It's great to see you, especially during these rough times. I hope that you didn't have any problems during your way to our modest village."

Tracey couldn't tell him that they were attacked by thieves, so he had to pretend that everything went great. There wasn't a reason to worry the man with his problems and Tracey returned the smile before he shook the man's hand.

"It was a beautiful journey to your village and it's great to spend some time within the nature." Tracey lied and even May raised an eyebrow.

Being happy about the compliments about his village, Ryan smiled again before he spotted the girl behind the artist. It wasn't unusual for the inhabitants of the city to knew everybody of their neighbors and May was definitely not from this location.

"Who's the lovely lady behind you?" Ryan asked, pointing to the brunette.

May blushed slightly, because it was rare that someone called her lovely.

Tracey didn't know May very good as well, so he needed to come up with Ash's explanation for May's appearance.

"Her name is May and she's my assistant." Tracey explained. Of course, May raised again an eyebrow and she couldn't remember that she agreed to be his assistant.

Ryan believed this and the man didn't mind the girl.

"Welcome May to our village and I hope that you'll love our hospitality. I'm sure that my daughter doesn't mind another girl within our house, although I have to say that we don't have any guest rooms. However, there isn't a reason to worry though, because I rented two rooms within the pub for the night for Tracey and another follower of him." John explained before he turned to Tracey again.

"I'm thankful for your hospitality, but I would need to buy some things before I start the portrait of your daughter, sir." Tracey explained, not mentioning the reason for his lack of utensils.

"Of course, you can and actually, my daughter hasn't woken up yet anyway." John admitted. "I'll await you in an hour."

After that, Ryan closed the door again, leaving Tracey and May on her own again. Apparently, Tracey's client was quite friendly and it shouldn't be terrible for Tracey and May to spend the next day within the village.

"Assistant?" May asked with some disbelieve.

"It was Ash's idea and he meant that you wouldn't mind to do that. According to him, you aren't a spoiled brat." Tracey responded.

"Did he say that?" May felt slightly flattered that Ash spoke with Tracey about her, even if it wasn't very much. "Did he say something else about me?"

"Uh … we didn't talk a lot with each other at all …" Tracey replied and he could see that the brunette was slightly disappointed to hear that. Nevertheless, it wasn't time to speak about last night and the artist needed to buy the utensils for his job.

Although it was a small village, it owned a shop for all kind of utensils.

"Let's buy the things that I need." Tracey said, scratching his head, because he needed to care the whole day for that brown-haired girl. Of course, May thought a lot about Ash and she would leave as soon as she would get the possibility.

"Okay …." May responded.

She and Da Vinci then walked to the only shop of the village.

* * *

Slowly but surely, most people woke up and Petalburg's street were crowded again, but all of them didn't know about the growing danger within their own home. There hadn't been many bad events as of late and the assassin was almost completely forgotten by the inhabitants.

Unlike the normal districts, the abandoned district was empty and only a few Rattatas went through the alleys of the forgotten part of the town.

When the sun was high enough to shine over the walls of the city, bright sunbeams reached the hideout of the former thief guilt. Resting on top of the building, Pidgeot stretched its wings before he used his hawk eyes to check up the surroundings. Acting as the look-out, the giant bird wouldn't disappoint his master with a weak performance during his absence.

As of now, no guard had found their hideout and it should stay like that.

The householder of the hideout always woke up very early in the morning and it wasn't different today.

The aura Pokémon, Lucario, ate something before he thought about the new day. Ash already had been away for a complete day and apparently, it could take Ash another day to come back, so it was up to the aura Pokémon to spend the day.

Yesterday, he met Paul, but the purple-haired assassin had insisted that he would only speak with Ash about something, so he vanished immediately again. Actually, it couldn't harm to have some allies within the city, although Lucario preferred to work just among assassins of their own guilt.

"There's not much to do for me here …" The aura user noticed, because he cleared the whole hideout, put everything in order, repaired some holes in the roof and even prepared an emergency exit if they ever got attacked.

Ash's mission was important, but there would still be much to do after he would come back.

"We'll need some more information about our target, Giovanni …." Lucario whispered silently and the aura Pokémon knew that he would perhaps need the help of some individuals that he didn't like at all, but an assassin shouldn't let personal problems come in his way.

Looking to the house again, the steel-type knew that it shouldn't be without protection.

After he walked out of the hideout, the aura user looked up to the large bird and Pidgeot should be the perfect individual to watch over their hideout. In the worst case, the large bird could always fly away, so Lucario didn't need to worry too much.

"Pidgeot, I'll collect some information, so you'll have to watch over our hideout." Lucario said loudly and the flying-type on the building nodded in agreement. There shouldn't be a problem with the task, because as of now, only Paul, Dawn and May knew about this location.

Nodding as well, the dog-like Pokémon turned around before he walked towards the city.

Fortunately, Lucario didn't need to hide within the shadows of the town, because Ash and he weren't wanted anymore. However, the templar would now continue with their conspiracy like usual, making it difficult for Ash and his partners to slow them down somehow.

Nevertheless, the Pokémon needed to catch as less attention as possible, because speaking Pokémon weren't that usual in general. At first, the aura-using Pokémon walked quickly through the alleys until he reached the business-district of Petalburg.

It was difficult to explain, but somehow the whole surroundings radiated something evil.

Inspecting the all around situation, the aura user noticed that most inhabitants acted very distance to each other. Lucario could only assume that every person wanted to be alone with his problems, although it seemed that they needed some help.

Suddenly, the blue Pokémon overheard a conversation between a woman and some guards.

"Please, I can't relinquish my articles to the barracks. If I don't sell enough, I won't be able to feed my family and Pokémon." A woman, who had yellow hair, folded her hands and pleaded the guards to have a heart.

Apparently, the guards didn't care, because they took the utensils from the booth anyway.

"It's a direct order from King Cyrus that the guards can confiscate everything that will help them to protect the city from our enemies." The guard replied casually, looking at various utensils, for example knifes, covers and other things. Everything that wasn't good enough for him was thrown away, much to the dismay of the vendor.

Lucario looked on, but he couldn't help inhabitants without Ash's permission, so he needed to look away from this injustice. Actually, Ash and he weren't here to help the population of the city in the first place, although it would be effects of their mission.

Ignoring the pleadings of the woman, the aura user walked along the street that would lead him to his desired place.

Eventually, he finally reached the familiar pub of the city and Lucario didn't like its owner at all. It had been some time since he talked with Meowth, but the cat always knew something that Ash and his partners didn't know.

Hoping that the cat wouldn't demand the dog-taxes from him, the blue Pokémon approached the building before he heard some voices from the inside. It was weird, because as of now, he hadn't seen a guest within Meowth's pub, besides Ash and him of course.

Lucario raised an eyebrow, but maybe Meowth could finally afford some new utensils for his pub.

Forgetting his pride for the moment, the aura user entered the house. Like always, the swinging doors revealed rather fast that a new guest was within the house, but Lucario didn't need to hide his appearance anyway.

The cat-like Pokémon stood behind his counter, cleaning up some glasses.

Lieutenant Surge sat silently on a barstool in front of the counter, nipping some sort of alcohol again.

Besides that, some 'new' guests sat in the corner of the pub, but fortunately, they didn't look like guards or spies from the templar organization. Unlikely that they would hear something from the conversation between the two Pokémon.

As soon as Meowth spotted the familiar face, he tipped with its paw onto the counter, implying that the dog would need to pay for his appearance. Surge turned around as well and the former soldier wondered where Lucario's master was, although he heard about the incident in front of the castle a few days ago. Of course, he didn't believe that King Cyrus' guards could kill the assassin.

Growling silently, Lucario approached the bar.

"What do you want, dog?" Meowth said with an annoyed voice.

"Just some information about certain individuals of the town, cat!" Lucario replied, smirking.

Surge already assumed that this situation wouldn't end with a hug, but he didn't mind a brawl within the pub at all. Moreover, the interaction between the two Pokémon was always funny to watch, although one of them was theoretically his boss.

"No money, no information!" Meowth countered, cleaning another glass.

Unfortunately, Lucario didn't take his fanny pack with him, therefore he didn't have any money of course.

"Didn't we help you already enough with your bar?" The aura user asked sternly, knowing that Ash helped the cat to save his job with his money. Indeed, the bar owed several new chairs, tables and other things that looked quite good.

"I could get into trouble if I help you, you know that?" Meowth responded, knowing about the risks of helping assassins. On the other hand, he didn't know whether the dog would need the information for his master or for his own and Meowth would evolve if he helped a dog.

"Aren't you already in trouble?" Lucario asked casually.

Slowly but surely, their conversation caught the attention of the new guests and it didn't matter whether they were normal inhabitants or guards, because nobody should know about the whole situation at all. After a staredown between them, Mewoth and Lucario wouldn't back down, so they needed some sort of solution with that both of them would be satisfied.

"I won't help a dog, but maybe, we could agree on a deal." Meowth said casually, putting both of his paws onto the bar. It seemed that the cat had already an idea, but according to his eyes, it wouldn't be a good one for the aura-using Pokémon.

"What kind of deal?" Lucario didn't like it as well to agree on a deal with a cat, but he couldn't sit at their hideout, doing nothing for two whole days. Thinking about the pros and cons, the blue creature eventually nodded slowly to accept the deal, although he didn't know about the content.

"As of late, we have had quite a few guests, but Surge is completely incompetent when it comes to being a waiter. Every time I ordered him to bring something to my guests, he started a brawl and all of my new utensils got broken again." The normal-type explained, glaring at the former lieutenant.

"It's their fault when they provoke me!" Surge explained, shrugging. Apparently, it didn't matter to him how many guests were within the pub as long as he would get enough beers.

"They provoked you? You spat into their meal, you incompetent piece of crap." Meowth countered harshly, not wanting to hear the excuses of his long life guest.

"They asked for more spiciness, you son of a dog!" Surge replied harshly, standing up and glaring at the barkeeper. Jumping onto the counter, the cat glared as well and he wouldn't let a guest like surge do what he wanted.

Another argument between Surge and Meowth was about to start, but Lucario didn't have time for that.

"Could you finish your explanations?" Lucario interrupted the argument, not wanting to waste more time than necessary.

Luckily, Surge sat down again and the blonde man took a huge sip from his drink before he smashed the cup onto the counter. Of course, he followed it up with a more than loud belch to show his masculinity to everyone.

Meowth calmed down as well, but he knew that he needed to teach the former lieutenant a lesson eventually.

"Are you that stupid, dog? Even someone with your brain capacity should know what I demand from you …. " Meowth shook his head before he explained for the idiots. "You'll be the waiter for this day and at the evening, I'll give you the information that you want, supposing that I know something about them of course."

Lucario didn't like this at all, because it could be that this whole day would be for nothing.

"At first, I want my information before I start to work! Why should I work for free? I'm not a charity worker!" Lucario explained sternly.

"Do you think I'm that stupid, dog? You would leave the pub as soon as I gave you the information! No! You'll work first and I hope that you'll do your work better than surge, otherwise you won't learn anything from me!" Mewoth said confidently, knowing how he could survive the worst times.

The aura Pokémon growled again, but unfortunately, Meowth had been very helpful for their missions recently, so it would be stupid to piss him off with an argument. To work for a cat wasn't something that Lucario had dreamed of, but it was inevitable.

"Kay …" Lucario growled, agreeing to that deal.

* * *

It was still quite early in the morning and the dew was still on the leafs of the trees, which created a nice atmosphere. Moreover, it was still quite cold and nobody would like to stay outside for too long, but a certain assassin wandered through the forest in hope to find important hints.

Trying to make as less noises as possible, Ash walked over the ground of the forest.

"It can't be that far away, can it?" Ash asked no one in particular, but his Pikachu heard him anyway.

The yellow rodent walked as well and his sensitive nose smelt something, but as of now, he couldn't be sure what it was. It smelt somewhat of burnt, dusty and unusual, but Pikachu relied more on his ears than on his nose during a mission.

Suddenly, Ash and his rodent heard something and the assassin could only assume that it was a carriage on a road that shouldn't be far away. Unfortunately, the trees were rather thin and it wouldn't be easy to hide behind them though, so Ash decided to give his climbing one more chance.

Looking to his partner, Ash motioned hesitantly to him. Of course, Pikachu wouldn't be that perfect for the next task, therefore Ash needed to allow him to sit on his shoulder again.

Happily, the rodent climbed onto Ash's shoulder before the assassin followed the noises.

Ash assumed that the carriage was two hundred feet away, but he couldn't risk to be seen by anyone.

Inspecting the surroundings, Ash noticed a broken tree that still leaned at an angle against another tree, making it the perfect spot to reach a higher level. After that, it should be possible to find a way along the trees towards the noise.

The assassin built some momentum before he ran towards the tree, although he tried to strain his injured leg as less as possible.

Stepping onto the wood, the assassin balanced along the root until he reached the spot where the two trees were connected. It took some agility to swing around the bole to reach a thick branch at its backside, but at least, Ash was out of eyeshot.

Listening to the noises of the carriage again, Ash jumped to the next branch before he leaned against its bole before he looked for the next tree. He needed to act slowly, but Ash was sure that the carriage was on its way to the opencast mining.

The assassin eventually reached a little slope and at the bottom of it, he saw the road that seemed as if it was used quite often.

Standing on top of the tree, Ash waited until the carriage was in eyeshot.

"Come on!" Ash waited eagerly.

Finally, he saw how two Rapidashs pulled a large carriage into south direction, but it didn't look like a transport for utensils or products from the mining. It looked rather like a carriage for people, which meant that someone was on his way to the mining.

"It looks too noble for a transport of workers …" Ash said quietly, but nevertheless, it seemed like a good hint for his mission.

Under normal circumstances, Ash would just jump onto the carriage and kill the passengers, but the raven-haired killer couldn't be sure about those people. Moreover, it wouldn't do any good to his injured leg, so Ash would need to follow the carriage along the road.

Apparently, he wasn't noticed and the assassin looked for a good route along the street.

He needed to decide quickly before the carriage would reach the mining, because Ash wanted to know who was within the vehicle.

Jumping to the next tree, Ash realized that the slop became smaller and the trees eventually were on the same level as the road, making it easier to follow the carriage, yet more dangerous at the same time.

After the sixth tree, Ash finally found his rhythm and he jumped easily from branch to branch.

Fortunately, the Rapidash didn't dash along the road and Ash could easily catch up with them. Nevertheless, the assassin hoped that the mining would soon appear in front of him, because it could become quite difficult to keep this speed for a longer time.

Pikachu smelt another sent and the rodent could swear that it was similar to gunpowder.

Suddenly, Ash stopped and the yellow rodent almost fell of his shoulder. After he found his balance again, Pikachu wondered what Ash was doing, but the mouse immediately spotted two guards on the street that blocked the way.

Apparently, they were some kind of border control for the opencast mining and right now, they controlled the carriage. After they checked the coachman, they gave the sign that the carriage was allowed to enter the area.

"They look exactly like the guards from yesterday …." Ash whispered silently and Pikachu, that didn't know about Ash and May's experience from yesterday, raised an eyebrow at his master's statement.

The carriage vanished within the forest, but at least, Ash knew that he was on the right way.

Unfortunately, the next tree was too far away and it would be too obvious to climb down the tree now. On the other hand, he couldn't kill the two guards, because they would be missed eventually, making it more difficult for him to sneak through the mining.

In addition, Ash lost his bow and arrows anyway, so he was useless in the distance., even with his throwing knifes.

"Who the heck knows when the changing of the guard is …. " Ash murmured. " I can't wait that long!"

Looking to the side, the assassin tried to find a way that wouldn't be too close to the guards, but at the same time, it shouldn't lead him into nowhere of course. Moving back some trees. Ash climbed silently to the ground before he peeked around the corner.

Not seeing another way, Ash walked into the forest again before he turned to the south. Due to that route, he wouldn't meet the guards, but on the other hand, he wouldn't know where he would come out and it could be possible that he approaches other guards right now.

Almost crouching, Ash wandered through the forest in hope that he wouldn't miss the mining on his way.

Fortunately, he could see some smoke through the leafs of the trees and the assassin remembered that he saw a furnace when he stood on top of that tree some time ago. The closer he came to the smoke the more careful he became until he heard a crowd.

Pikachu jumped to the ground and the rodent sneaked silently to the next bush.

Both of them hid within the plant before they peeked into the large clearing within this forest. As soon as he looked out of the bush, Ash sighed in relieve that he didn't run straight to this area, because in front of him was an abyss.

It looked exactly like an opencast mining and a way circled around until it reached the bottom of the abyss that seemed to be hundred feet under the earth. Several carriages were pulled by humans that either walked down or walked up the way and according to their facial expressions, it was one hell of a work.

"It's larger than expected …" Ash whispered before he looked to the left side.

Several tents stood in front of the mining, but most of them were watched over by guards while the normal 'people' needed to walk to some sort of conveyor belt. Of course, it was an exhausting task, but Ash couldn't just hid within that bush, doing nothing.

Unfortunately, he couldn't climb down the slop that fell vertically at some parts.

Constant calls from the guards echoed through the mining, but actually it were rather orders than calls.

If he wanted to learn more about the location, Ash needed to find a way down the mining before he would need to examine everything.

Pikachu and Ash vanished within the bush again before they moved silently towards the assembly point in front of the large hole. Eventually, the raven-haired assassin reached a point where he wasn't 'protected' by the forest anymore.

Two watchtowers served as outlooks for the guards.

Apparently, the workers already worked for several hours, although it wasn't even noon.

The assassin then spotted the carriage again that he followed to this mining, but it seemed that its passengers already left the vehicle. There wasn't another way and the raven-haired killer needed to get closer to this assembly point, even if it meant to risk too much.

The workers reminded him on those two that he saw yesterday.

It didn't matter what he would do first, but Ash needed to know who was within the tents.

Thinking about a good route through the workers and guards, Ash suggested various ways, but most of them ended with him being caught. There weren't many possibilities to hide, because most trees were cut down.

Eventually he decided to hide behind several barrels again before he waited and examined the ways of the guards. Actually, the guards patrolled between the start of the abyss and the tents, which meant that at one point they turned their backs to Ash. Unfortunately, the guards on the watchtowers looked around like they wanted, making it difficult to see any rhythm within their movement.

It was time to distract the guards somehow.

Vanishing within the woods again, Ash walked to the front of the assembly point before he ignited a flame on the ground. Putting several twigs and leafs together, he hoped that almost every guard would at least look for a few moments towards this point.

As soon as he caused enough smoke, Ash walked back through the woods to the point behind the barrels. Like expected, the smoke caught the attention of the patrolling guards and even the guards on the watchtowers looked towards the spot, so Ash finally had some time.

Actually, Ash didn't need to worry too much about the workers, because they wouldn't reveal him.

Walking across the assembly point, Ash looked to the guards that still watched the small fire.

Right in time, the assassin reached the carriage before he hid under it. Apparently, one of those guards extinguished the fire, so that every one of their partners returned to their work. Crouching under the vehicle, Ash aimed for his next victim and Pikachu knew that they needed to reach the big tent.

"I'm quite sure that overseer is within the larger tent and the passengers from the carriage pay him a visit, at least I think so." Ash explained silently to his rodent before he peeked out of his hideout.

He spotted a guard that yelled at the workers for being too slow, although there was a limit how fast you can push a carriage that was full of stones. Unlike May, Ash didn't feel too much pity for the workers, although it looked like hard work.

Nevertheless, the assassin needed to concentrate on his mission again.

Fortunately for Ash, the sun was covered by several clouds, which created more shadows on the ground. While a guard was hitting a worker for being too slow, Ash let the hideout under the carriage before he sneaked to a gap between two tents.

One of them was the large tent and the raven-haired boy could hear quiet voices from the inside.

Pulling barrel to him between the gap, Ash assured himself that no guard was patrolling into his direction before he extended his hidden blade under his forearm. Cutting a smaller hole into the tent, Ash just needed to see what happens within it.

Pikachu played the watchdog and the rodent used its sensitive ears to follow the ways of the guards.

Peeking through the hole, Ash spotted two guards at the entrance of the tent and three other guys in the centre of it that stood around a small table. The guards didn't look different to those outside of the tent, but Ash immediately realized that they were better educated than the guards in Petalburg though.

Ash had never seen anyone of the three people that stood around the table, but that didn't matter too much right now. According to their expensive clothes, they were noble individuals, or at least very rich ones.

Trying to hear something, Ash concentrated.

One of those men wore a raiment that consisted of many colors and it even covered his complete legs from the sight of anyone. Moreover, he had several bracelets around his wrists and all in all he looked very corpulent, indicating that he wasn't the fittest one. In addition, he lacked of hair on top of his head and the remaining hair was just grey, so it seemed that this man was slightly older than the other two.

The second man looked like a real warrior, although he wore several rings on his hand and a necklace around his neck. Unlike the first man, he didn't look very old and he had slightly longer and black hair that covered one of his eyes. Ash spotted a sword on the side of his hip and he wore something like a leather armor.

The last one of them seemed to be in his forties and he had normal and brown hair that didn't look like anything special. Other than that, he wore an expensive looking red vest and a weird looking trouser that looked like one from a Shakespeare book.

Ash could only assume that the trio had different tasks, but the assassin would need to learn as much as possible before he would decide what to do.

After they whispered for the majority of the time, the three men finally started to talk loud enough, so that the assassin could hear something. Meanwhile, Pikachu looked over the barrel before he spotted something terrible, at least for him.

Some guards carried small cages with Pokémon to the mining and Pikachu couldn't do anything, but feeling bad for those Pokémon.

* * *

Several miles away from the mining within a small village, May and Tracey finally finished their shopping. Fortunately, the artist got everything that he would need for the portrait, although he had to admit that those utensils weren't as good as his old ones.

Of course, May didn't pay much attention to the painting materials, but rather the other stuff.

It didn't surprised anyone that she was interested in normal things, because Giovanni didn't buy her anything and the brunette always needed to use the same things for years.

Eventually, they needed to go, although the brown-haired girl would love to come back to buy 'present' for Ash. After all what she heard about Ash's life, she assumed that the boy didn't receive many presents, especially not from people that like him.

"We need to go!" Tracey said after he paid for his utensils.

May sighed, but she was used to be pulled away from nice things and she wouldn't complain about it.

Leaving the shop, Tracey assumed that it had been an hour since he met Ryan, therefore his daughter should be awake by now. When they walked along the street, May became curios about Tracey's artistic skills.

"Did you always want to become an artist?" May asked casually.

"Drawing is one of my hobbies and apparently, I'm good enough to be paid for it. However, my real passion is the science and I would invest every minute of my life into this area, but unfortunately, no one wanted to support my researches, so I need to earn my money with portraits of people." Da Vinci explained.

May didn't know much about science, because she only learned writing, reading and calculating at school. On the other hand, she knew that she only went to a public school for the 'poor' portion of the people.

The brunette thought about Tracey's words before the reached Ryan's house again.

While Tracey knocked on the door again, May looked over her shoulder in hope to see Ash, but slowly, but surely she realized that the raven-haired assassin wouldn't come back that quickly.

Once again, Ryan opened the door and Tracey's client welcomed his guests into his house. It wasn't the biggest house that May had ever seen, because her own home had been bigger. However, as soon as she stepped into the flat, she felt the warmth of those house.

While Tracey and Ryan talked about the portrait, May walked along the floor before she entered the living room of the house. It looked very nice to her and she was amazed to see such comfort outside of her home town.

A large table with six chairs stood in the middle of the room on a carpet.

Two windows provided the room with enough sunlight and the brunette loved the love to the detail within the house. All of the little things that seemed unimportant were great and the orphan inspected the chimney of the room.

A lot of this reminded her on her time with her parents and May became quite sad, but she knew that she shouldn't cry about the past, at least not in important times. Hearing Tracey and Ryan from the floor, the brunette touched the wall and she could almost sense something.

Again, she thought about her future and she imagined to live within such a house as well, although it wouldn't need to be that huge.

She then spotted a waxwork of an Eevee, May remembered the small fox in her hometown and for a short moment, she became sad that she hadn't seen her for a few days. Playing with the waxwork, the brunette didn't notice that someone approached her from behind.

"It's nice, isn't it?" A female voice noticed.

May got a shock and she almost dropped the waxwork to the ground, but fortunately, she could keep it within her hands. Sighing in relieve, May put the Eevee back onto the chimney before she turned around to see the person that was talking to her.

As soon as she turned around, May looked at a girl that was as old and tall as her. Moreover, she had red and shorter hair, but she was nevertheless quite pretty, because she had a nice smile on her face that reminded May of her friend Dawn.

"Hello, I'm Zoey."

**End of chapter!**

* * *

**That's the double-ten of the story and I think it was a good chapter that revealed more than the last one, although we didn't see any assassinations. It's quite difficult at the moment, because I need to write about Tracey and May in the village, Ash at the mining and Lucario in Petalburg. **

**It could be that I'll have more time for this story in the future, so I hope for your support. **

**Some things for understanding: **

**- Tracey and May reached finally the village and met John Ryan**

**- Lucario tries to get information within Petalburg **

**- The aura Pokémon went to Meowth's pub and agreed on a deal with the cat**

**- Ash followed a carriage towards the mining before he sneaked through the woods again**

**- The opencast mining is larger than expected and Ash started his spy-mission**

**- The assassin peeks into a tent and eavesdrops on a conversation between three man**

**- Pikachu spotted some Pokémon within cages**

**- May met Ryan's daughter Zoey within the his house**

**That's Life in the shadows for today and I hope that you enjoyed reading this chapter. **

**Please don't flame! (Advanceshipping and minor Ikarishipping)**

**Please review (The more the merrier!)**


	21. Chapter 21

**It's time for the next chap of Life in the shadows and this time, it could be that we'll see some blood and other crazy things. Finally, Ash got away from May, but unfortunately for him, Distance makes the heart grow fonder! **

**Story is rated M for: **Blood, murder, death, assassination, weapons, bloody injuries, swearing, torture, bad language, executions, and minor sexual content

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon or Assassin's Creed**

**R&R!**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

May was slightly embarrassed, because she touched goods within this house that weren't hers and now she was caught by the daughter of Ryan. Crossing her arms behind her back, the brunette smiled sweetly before she looked again at the red-haired girl.

Zoey didn't seem to be angry at May for touching the waxwork and she still waited for May's introduction, although she sensed the nervousness of the brunette.

"What's your name?" The redhead asked.

"Uh … my name is May …" May responded slowly and seemed to be careful at first. As of now, she only knew two different types of girls from her town; one of them was like Dawn and the other one was like her stepsister Jesse.

"That's a nice name for a girl like you, although I have to admit that you don't look that happy to me …" Zoey noticed, seeing that the brown-haired girl was deep in thought about something.

May didn't like it at all that the redhead noticed her behavior and actually, she didn't want to talk about her problems with someone that she just met a few seconds ago. Shaking her head, the brunette once again smiled at Zoey before she extended her hand for a handshake.

Ryan's daughter knew that this girl wouldn't talk with her about her thoughts, at least not yet.

Accepting the handshake, Zoey wondered who that girl was, although she already knew her name. On the other hand, Zoey was always polite and the complete opposite of a spoiled brat like Jesse, so she didn't judge anyone by its appearance.

Actually, that was everything that the two teens exchanged before Tracey and Ryan entered the living room as well. Still carrying his utensils, Tracey looked at the red-haired Zoey, because he would need to draw her today.

"Oh … you already met my daughter, May." John said.

May nodded slowly.

"That's your daughter then, right?" Tracey noted, looking again at the redhead. "She's quite pretty. No wonder that you want to have a portrait of her, sir."

Zoey smiled nervously, because she didn't want to be known as daddy's darling to that artist. Actually, she didn't want to be drawn, but her father insisted that it would be a great memory for the future, especially when she would be as old as him.

"Her name is Zoey and she's eighteen." John introduced his daughter to the artist. Being polite, the redhead offered Tracey a handshake and the inventor accepted without hesitation before he turned to his client again.

"It will be an honor to draw her, but it could be that she'll have to sit for quite some time without moving, sir." Tracey warned the man that it wouldn't be that easy to draw that portrait, especially for the girl, Zoey.

"Of course, she'll need to, but my darling isn't restless." Ryan explained, placing a hand on his daughter's shoulder before he looked around for the perfect spot for the drawing. "Actually, I thought it would look good if you draw her in front of the chimney."

Zoey sighed silently, knowing that her father just wanted the best for her.

May stepped quickly to the side, so that Tracey could inspect the living room. After he looked at the chimney with his educated eyes, Da Vinci thought thoughtfully about that and eventually he nodded slowly.

"I think that's a good place …" Tracey explained. "We can start as soon as your daughter is ready."

"At first, you should go upstairs and look for some good clothes." Ryan told his daughter before he turned to May. "Could you accompany her and help her to find the best clothes, May? I'm sure that you know something about fashion and my daughter would kill me anyway if I look at her while she's changing her clothes."

"Uh … of course, sir." May was still slightly shy.

Zoey bowed down to the males before she motioned to the brunette to follow her to her room upstairs. It didn't look as if the two girls were friends yet, but May still thought about Ash and she couldn't wait until he would finally come back to her, even he didn't want to.

The artist seemed as if he wanted to stop them, at least May, because Ash told him that he shouldn't let her out of his eyeshot.

After the two girls went out of the living room, Tracey started to prepare the easel for the portrait and the artist looked at the curtains. It could be that he would need more light and Da Vinci pulled the curtains away from the window to allow more light to enter the room. Like always, it would be a long-winding task to draw a portrait, but it was Tracey's job after all.

John Ryan was still within the living room as well and it seemed that the father had something on his mind; therefore, he used this chance to speak with Tracey alone as long as his daughter and May were upstairs.

"How's Petalburg?" Ryan asked casually to kick off the conversation.

"Uh ….?" Tracey was slightly caught off guard, but he would just say the positive things about his hometown. "It's the town of the king, so it's a crowded place with a lot of different individuals from the whole kingdom. Moreover, we have market places, pubs, restaurants, parks and schools all over the city and we always learn very early about the king's decision."

Ryan listened carefully, although he was still deep in thought.

"What about crime?" Ryan asked.

"Well, there's of course crime like everywhere else, too, but our guards protect everyone they can …" Tracey replied, again lying about some facts. It wasn't long ago that he was 'protected' by guards before Ash made the save for him.

A short silence occurred.

"Why do you ask, sir?" Tracey asked in return.

"Just curiosity!" Ryan answered quickly before he changed the topic again. "How long will your portrait take? I'm sure that you won't be finished by lunch, but perhaps we can find a way to include a break in this."

"As long as she doesn't change her clothes or get a new haircut during the break, it should be possible, sir." Tracey responded politely before he put his paintbrushes and colors onto the table of the living room and he wouldn't talk with Ryan about the payment, at least not yet.

Ryan was still deep in thought and he leaned with his arm against the wall, looking out of the window.

* * *

Still hiding between the tents, Ash was curious what he would learn from that conversation between the three men within the tent and he hoped that he would get a hint whether those individuals were part of the templar clan or not.

Ash needed to cover one of his ears, because the noises from the mining made it difficult to follow the conversation within the tent.

Unlike his master, Pikachu looked worriedly over the barrels, feeling sad for the Pokémon that were carried towards the mining in small cages.

Eventually, the conversation finally started.

"How much I hate it to come to this place! It's dirty and everywhere are those poor people that beg for money! We should really start to use more guards for this!" The oldest of the group said, whining about the situation outside of huge cities.

"Stop with your whining and start to think about the importance of our meeting!" The black-haired man responded sternly, seemingly being the most serious person of the group. "You shouldn't demand something from others that you couldn't do on your own!"

"Stop this! We aren't here to evaluate each other!" The brown-haired man insisted before he pointed to a smaller table in the middle of the tent. It wasn't easy for Ash to recognize it, but it seemed that there was a map and several letters on the table.

Taking one of those letters, the brown-haired 'leader' showed it to his fellow group members.

"Our boss demands that we make sure that we double the gold mining as soon as possible. According to him, there's not much time left until we need a strong army and I'm sure that we shouldn't disappoint him at any cost." The brunette explained, trying to emphasize the importance of their work.

"Double it?" The white-haired man responded with a shocked impression. "It's already hard enough to send the normal amount of gold to him!"

_Can't you finally say who 'him' is! …._Ash became slightly restless, because he didn't get the most important fact.

"It's the wish of him and the reward will be huge." The brunette seemed to be more relaxed than the rest. Apparently, however, he stopped for a few seconds before looked to the side of the tent, where Ash was hiding behind. Actually, he couldn't know that the assassin was there and he returned to his previous position shortly thereafter.

"Then the workers just need to work harder!" The black-haired soldier said casually, not changing his expression at all. Still crossing his arms, he didn't see the reason for their meeting, at least not yet and he waited for some serious points.

"They have been too lazy anyway!" The old man responded.

After he put the letter back onto the table, the brunette thought for a few seconds before he told some information to the others. It seemed more and more that this brown-haired man was the overseer of the gold mining and the other two traveled to this place with the carriage that Ash had followed.

"I already thought about a way to get more gold in less time! It's always annoying to dig large holes, so that our workers can walk into them and I think that we could save a lot of time if we don't need to use too much time on the tunnels." The brunette explained.

"That's completely stupid, Gregory. If there was a way to fasten the mining, we would already use it!" The grey-haired man said, shaking his head.

At least, Ash finally got the name of one of them.

"You think so, Edmund? I'm sure that you're too small-minded to think about new ways to use Pokémon for our projects." Gregory said, smiling patronizingly at his old companion.

"Pokémon?" Edmund asked with some disbelieve, because he couldn't think that those creatures could help them. As of now, only Rapidashs and some other Pokémon were useful for them, although they were treated like crap by their owners.

Ash looked at them, especially the black-haired and younger man, because he didn't say too much.

"Smaller Pokémon can easily enter small tunnels and bring the gold out of them. It would save a lot time and we could also increase the staff morale of our workers with this. Wouldn't it be nice from us if we don't force them anymore to crawl into the tunnels?" Gregory said casually.

"You're too nice to them." Edmund replied.

"I know!" Gregory responded sarcastically. "Bryce is already down in the mining and will show our workers how to use their new 'help'!" Gregory said and it seemed that the meeting wouldn't last very long anymore, although it could be that the trio would continue their conversation elsewhere.

Once again, Gregory looked to the side.

"What would you think if we continue our meeting at a lunch? There's a pub not far away from here and I'm sure that the staff will be honored to welcome us." Gregory then put all the letters into his pockets before he motioned to his partners to leave the tent with him.

Of course, the old Edmund was more than happy to come away from this stupid location and the black-haired soldier shrugged.

_Who are they working for, damn it ….. _Ash wasn't all too satisfied with the information that he got, but he couldn't just walk to those men and ask them. Moreover, this Gregory took all letters with him, making it unnecessary for Ash to look through the tent anymore.

The trio left the tent before Gregory whispered some orders to one of the guards. After that, they entered the carriage before their Rapidashs dashed along the way, leaving the opencast mining in north direction.

Ash kneeled on the ground, thinking about the best way to use those information.

The yellow rodent, Pikachu, still looked worriedly over the barrels before he heard Ash's voice.

"Not the best information, but at least, we know that their 'boss' needs more money. It wouldn't make much sense to follow them now and we should probably use their absence to cut their resources …" The assassin said, hearing how the noise of the carriage vanished in the distance.

The mouse nodded, but secretly, he hoped that they could save the Pokémon as well.

According to Gregory, Bryce was within the mining and he seemed to be the most important person around here. Not difficult to imagine what would happen if Ash could eliminate this guy.

At first, Ash needed to find this Bryce and the assassin looked for the best way to come to the entrance of the opencast mining. Looking to the location between the tents and the way down to the mine, Ash thought about the best possibility to sneak through the guards.

After Pikachu jumped onto his master's shoulder, the raven-haired assassin remembered the way of the patrols.

Fortunately, there was always a period of time where no guard looked at the tents.

Step by step, Ash sneaked along the way, hiding behind various things. As soon as he stopped behind a bigger tree, the assassin had to realize that one of those guards patrolled too close to his way and it could be that Ash had to improvise.

"How much I hate this …" Ash said with an annoyed voice.

Pikachu knew that there wasn't another way and the rodent looked around.

Waiting behind the tree, Ash listened without movement and he could hear how the guard came closer to his position. Turning his head slightly to the side, Ash extended his hidden blade and he concentrated for his first assassination of the day.

As soon as the guard stepped in front of the tree, Ash dashed around the tree before he rammed his hidden blade into the side of the man's stomach. Like always, it silenced the victim immediately and the raven-haired assassin dragged the body behind the tree again.

Spending the next few moments in pure silence, Ash waited for a response from other guards. Fortunately, no one seemed to be miss the death one and Ash kneeled next to his victim before he closed his eyes.

"Requiescat in pace!" Ash said silently, showing his respect for his victim.

Some blood dropped onto the ground, but Ash wasn't responsible for the cleaning. Actually, Ash tried to kill as less as possible, but that wasn't always possible for his missions.

Pikachu thought that it would be a good idea to take the clothes from the body, so that Ash could walk down the mine without problems. Of course, it wouldn't be the first time that Ash would disguise himself, but this time he didn't think that it would work.

Peeking around the tree again, Ash saw that only chosen guards were allowed to enter the mining and apparently, his victim wasn't one of them. It was new that guards wore different uniforms to separate certain positions from each other.

"I'm sorry, Pikachu, but it won't be that easy …" Ash explained before he looked for his next hideout.

After he realized that he wouldn't be able to enter the mine through the original entrance, Ash decided to use the forest one more time to his advantage. Motioning to Pikachu to follow him, the raven-haired killer moved quickly to the forest before he approached the mining again.

As of now, Ash hadn't scored anything, but he couldn't give up now.

To be honest, the mine looked like a gigantic crater within the location and only one spiral-like way leaded down to the tunnels. Of course, the beginning of the way was behind the entrance, but Ash didn't find a way to overcome those guards without risking too much.

After a few minutes, Ash was again at the edge of the mine, once again looking down to the workers and guards.

Again, Pikachu spotted some cages with Pokémon and the rodent pulled on his master's clothes before he pointed to the poor Pokémon. According to Gregory, those Pokémon should be sent into the tunnels to get the gold, although it could be more than dangerous. It were only small Pokémon, so they couldn't fight against several guards.

"We aren't here because of them, Pikachu!" Ash explained seriously.

The rodent knew that, but he just couldn't look on when those poor living creatures were mistreated.

Of course, Ash seemed to be heartless, but the assassin only followed the creed. As long as it wouldn't benefit his current mission, Ash wouldn't help anyone from this mining, although the assassination of the overseer would help the workers and Pokémon anyway.

At least, Ash had a great overview from this point and the raven-haired boy closed his eyes.

Using the eagle eye, Ash tried to find the right person. Due to the distance, Ash only saw a large amount of aura and it was difficult to separate certain people within this mass, but suddenly, he sensed a 'brighter' aura within the mine.

It wasn't a strong aura, but Ash could sense that this person was more 'enthusiastic' than the other ones. Moreover, it radiated some sort of authority, so it seemed likely that this had to be the person that Ash was looking for.

Opening his eyes again, the raven-haired assassin looked into the hole, but unfortunately, several rocks and boxes blocked his vision. Nevertheless, Bryce should be down there and Ash needed to find a way down now. Unnecessary to say that it wouldn't end well for Ash if he caught the attention of guards.

"Got him!" Ash said.

Pikachu nodded slightly.

Inspecting the area, Ash spotted a larger haystack on the way down to the tunnels. It was far away from the entrance of the mining and apparently, there weren't any patrolling guards, so it should be possible to use this as the first hideout down to the tunnels.

However, there wasn't a way down to that spot, so Ash would need to jump down into that haystack.

Unfortunately, it would be a thirty feet deep fall into the hay and the assassin didn't know whether there were boxes under the hay or not. Moreover, the assassin didn't have a successful past with hay and his missed leap into the hay back in Petalburg was still a painful memory for the assassin.

On the other hand, there wasn't another way and Ash had to rely on his luck once more.

Ash slowly walked along the edge of the crater and the yellow rodent followed him quickly. It was great that there weren't any guards, but Ash knew that it had its reasons. Nobody would expect that an assassin would risk his own life with a jump like that.

After some time, Ash reached the point and he could see the hay thirty feet under him.

Pikachu looked with disbelief down into the crater and the rodent didn't think that it was a good idea to jump down.

"I would choose another way if there was one, Pikachu." Ash clarified before he looked from his current position down onto the way. On the one hand, there wasn't a guard that looked into this direction, but on the other hand, there could always be some guards in the distance that could see him during his jump.

After he was sure that he had a chance, Ash lifted Pikachu off the ground and pressed him against his chest. Feeling the nervousness of each other, the duo needed to trust their luck again and Ash approached the edge until his toes were over the abyss.

Shutting his eyes, Pikachu prayed silently.

Taking a deep breath, Ash aimed for the haystack before he just fell forward. Unlike Pikachu, Ash couldn't close his eyes and the assassin needed to find the best time to flip forward, so that they wouldn't get hurt.

The wind blew into his face and a few seconds felt like a few minutes. Shortly before he hit the hay, Ash flipped forward, so that he land back first into the hay and fortunately, it wasn't loud enough for the guards to hear. However, Ash didn't leave the hay after that.

* * *

May followed Zoey to the stairs before they entered the second floor of the house. Silently, the brunette inspected everything and she wondered why she hadn't seen Zoey' mother so far, although she assumed that Zoey wasn't that lucky to have both parents.

After a while, the duo entered the room of the redhead and May immediately noticed that Zoey was the only child of her father. Having everything that a girl could wish for, Zoey owned a lot of things that May would like as well.

Noticing the amazement in May's eyes, Zoey sighed silently.

"You think that I'm a spoiled brat, right?" Zoey said knowingly.

"No, of course not, ma'am …." May answered quickly, not wanting to offend the girl.

"Please don't call me ma'am!" Zoey insisted. "We aren't that old to behave like old woman, right?"

"Yes, milady!" May bowed down.

Zoey giggled slightly, but she didn't want that May behaved like that, especially when her father wasn't here with them. Of course, Zoey was curious why this girl was with the artist, but she didn't want to put May under pressure with her questions.

"Call me Zoey, May. It's nice to speak with another girl that's as old as me, because it's a small village and only a few adults have daughters like us." Zoey explained with a smile before she walked to one of her cupboards.

Slowly but surely, May didn't feel so shy anymore.

Opening her cupboard, Zoey looked at her clothes before she turned to May again.

"To be honest, I like your clothes, May. Who gave them to you?" Zoey asked curiously, trying to start a friendship with the brunette. It wouldn't be that easy though, because May acted slightly distant to unknown individuals after the years that she had spent within Giovanni's house.

"Uh … my clothes …" May looked down at her blouse, skirt and gloves. It seemed like an eternity since she had got those clothes from Ash and Lucario and she remembered her first day at their hideout.

Zoey waited for an answer.

"A very important person gave them to me …." May replied.

"Maybe your boyfriend?" Zoey guessed and May almost dropped onto her butt.

Completely being caught off guard, the brunette didn't know why Zoey immediately assumed that she had a boyfriend and actually, she couldn't think about a boyfriend, especially not after the scene in the bathroom. Unfortunately, May blushed and she looked silently to the ground, not wanting to tell Zoey about her complicated relationship to that boy that saved her life.

"Is it Tracey?" Zoey asked sheepishly.

"No …" May replied immediately and she didn't know why someone should think that she was together with that artist. Strangely enough, Zoey seemed to be more relieved than disappointed, but May didn't think too much about this.

"I'm sorry that I asked you that, May. It's great when you have someone that you like, but could you tell me what that sign on your bandana means?" The redhead pointed to May's head and the brunette untied the cloth from her hair before she looked onto it.

She only knew that it was the sign of the assassins, but she couldn't tell Zoey about it.

"It's nothing important, milady!" May lied.

Zoey understood that she wouldn't learn too much from the girl, but perhaps she could cheer the brunette slightly up with some girly stuff. Looking into her cupboard again, the redhead needed to decide what she would wear for the portrait.

"Do you think that I would look good with this blouse?" Zoey asked sweetly.

May looked to the cloth and she saw that it was a very pretty blouse, at least in her opinion. It was mainly red with a white design on its front and it didn't reveal too much skin, yet looked very special to others. Apparently, Zoey wasn't the biggest fan of skirts, but it was more or less normal for females to wear skirts everywhere.

"It's great and I'm sure that your father would say that, too." May responded politely.

"Well, my father would never say that I don't look good, May, therefore, I'm happy that you're here with me." Zoey replied, putting the blouse onto her bed before she motioned to May to come to the cupboard.

Hesitating at first, the brunette approached the closet before she looked onto Zoey' stuff.

"To be honest, …." Zoey started. "I don't like all that stuff, but it makes my father happy when I wear some of those rings and necklaces …."

"They look gorgeous, milady." May said, losing some of her shyness.

"Of course, they do, but I'm sure that there are things on this earth that are more important than necklaces and pretty stuff." Zoey said, dropping another piece of cloth onto her bed that she wanted to wear for the portrait.

May mentally agreed with the redhead.

Eventually, Zoey had dropped everything onto her bed that she would want to wear.

"Do you have many clothes as well?" The red-haired girl asked, still trying to break the ice between May and her.

"Not really …." May answered, knowing that she didn't have anything at the moment after her house burned down, not that she owned a lot before that anyway. Nevertheless, she wasn't jealous and May didn't need too many clothes anyway.

Zoey looked at May's body and she wondered if the girl had the right measures.

May was slightly confused and she blushed.

"My father bought all kind of clothes for me and I'm really thankful for that, but some of those clothes don't suit me that well though. It would be funny to see how another girl wears those clothes though and you should look great." Zoey explained before she walked to another closet of her room.

May followed silently.

When she opened the door, Zoey pointed to a dress within the closet.

It looked beautiful and it looked like a fashion from another region though, but May liked it nevertheless. It consisted of a long and light-purple skirt that would cover the whole legs, a belly-free and orange blouse with short sleeves that spotted a heart pattern on its front, a headdress that consisted of a long cloth that would went over the neck down to the hips and a golden ring with a jewel that looked precious. In addition, there were several bracelets and a necklace that would make the whole outfit even more beautiful.

May couldn't deny that she liked this dress.

Zoey noticed the brunette's reaction and she knew that it would suit May better.

"Do you like it?" Zoey asked.

"Of course, it's gorgeous!" May said.

"If you want, you can have a fitting, May." Zoey said, not wanting that her father would buy those things for nothing. She wasn't just the type for such dresses and she wasn't upset about it, because she knew that it were just clothes.

"I could never …. I mean it's yours …" May couldn't imagine to wear Zoey' clothes.

"I'm fine with it, May. It would be nice …." Zoey tried to encourage the brunette.

May played with her fingers.

"Maybe …. But not for long …" May said sheepishly before Zoey took the dress out of the closet. Apparently, she was serious and that meant that both girls needed to change their clothes now, although it was Zoey that needed to pose for Tracey.

Slowly but surely, May got rid of her nervousness.

* * *

Back in Petalburg, Lucario didn't have an easy time and the aura Pokémon didn't like it at all to work for Meowth, especially for a whole day. At least, there hadn't been many guests so far and actually, Lucario fulfilled his job quite well.

Like always, Meowth stood behind his counter and cleaned some cups and glasses.

Surge took a quick nap on the bar and all guests were away by now.

The aura user crossed its arms and thought about his master's mission and he wondered how much Ash could manage as of now. There was always the thought within his mind that Ash wouldn't return, but he believed that he would sense something when something would happen to his master.

Moreover, Pikachu was with him.

Although he didn't like the dog, Meowth was nevertheless curious.

"Where's your friend?" The cat asked.

"On a mission …" Lucario answered casually, not seeing a reason to tell that cat too much.

"I guess, dogs aren't allowed there." Meowth teased the aura Pokémon.

Lucario glared at the barkeeper, but he wouldn't risk to lose his opportunity to get the information that he wanted. Supposing that Ash managed to cut the gold transport of the templar, there would still be a lot of other things to do and of course, the assassination of Giovanni was on top of their list.

"I just watch over our hideout, cat." Lucario replied.

"It's Mr. Meowth as long as you work for me!" The normal-type loved it to have power, especially over workers of his bar.

Lucario shook his head, but he knew that Ash didn't have an easier time than him.

* * *

Several workers walked along the spiral-like way of the mining and most of them only wore tattered clothes and were very thin for adult individuals. Shoving carriages full of stones and gold, they didn't know anything else than this poor life. Guards stood at regular intervals at the way, making sure that the workers wouldn't be lazy.

It was a long way down to the mining and a large haystack was at a fifth of the distance.

A long silence surrounded the haystack before Pikachu eventually sneezed. It was nothing new that the rodent was allergic to hay, but at least, he was alright and the yellow rodent peeked out of the haystack before he scratched the back of his ear.

Fortunately there hadn't been any boxes or other utensils under the hay and the raven-haired assassin sat up within the hay before he started to remove some of it from his clothes. It was always annoying to remove the hay, but at least, Ash was within the mining, although he still had the majority of the way in front of him.

"We're lucky, aren't we?" Ash said.

Pikachu shook off the remaining hay before he looked onto the way.

The next guard was approximately fifty feet away from them, so it wasn't likely that Ash could lure him to the Haystack, like he did it in front of the castle. Nevertheless, Ash needed to find a way down, because he couldn't go back without being noticed.

"It would be easier if we had some sort of ally …." Ash thought, looking at the workers. It was obvious that they weren't friends of the guards, but it could always be that some workers were afraid of an assassin, which would mean that they wouldn't help him.

Suddenly, Ash heard some kind of noise before most workers went down the way to the deepest point of the mining. Apparently, the workers should attend a speech and most of them put their carriages onto the side of the road before they walked down the street.

Ash thought that this was the perfect way to come down.

When a bigger group of workers passed the haystack, Ash took Pikachu into his arms before he positioned himself between the workers. Acting like a newcomer, the assassin lowered his head and covered his face with his hood and as of now, no one of the workers seemed to be surprised.

Pikachu turned into a 'ball', so that he wouldn't be noticed by anyone.

Walking down the road, Ash hoped that he chose the right time. After several meters, the assassin noticed that a guard controlled the workers, seemingly looking for thieves that try to get some from the gold. In addition, he looked very carefully through the group and it would need a miracle if Ash wasn't going to be discovered.

Slowing down, the assassin let the workers pass him.

When he reached the end of the large group, Ash knew what he had to do. Inspecting the location of the guard, Ash noticed that there were some barrels behind him and that could be the only way to cover his assassination.

Fortunately, there was a chance that no guard would notice him.

Looking through the group, the guard hadn't seen anything suspicious as of yet, but that didn't prevent him to punch some of the workers for fun. It was an easy job, at least for the most part. After all workers had past this point, the guard thought that his work was over, but then he spotted the assassin a few meters away from him.

Dropping Pikachu to the ground, Ash dashed towards the guard who couldn't even draw his sword.

After he extended his hidden blade, Ash rammed it once again into the stomach of the man before he lifted the body onto his shoulder. Still moving forward, the raven-haired assassin carried the guard behind the barrels before he dropped it to the ground.

Nobody noticed this quick assassination and it should take some time until someone would find this body.

After he closed the eyes of his victim, Ash heard another noise and apparently, the workers should hurry to reach the lowest point of the mining. Walking onto the way again, the assassin looked down into the mining where dozens of workers gathered.

However, in the middle of the mining were over a dozen guards with heavy armor. One of them looked different and Ash assumed that this had to be Bryce, his target. Actually, Bryce looked rather small, but Ash was experienced enough to know that he shouldn't underestimate smaller foes.

Pikachu looked carefully when two guards carried two cages with Pokémon to their boss.

Apparently, Bryce would give a speech and that meant that Ash could walk down the way. Nevertheless, there were still five guards between him and the deepest point of the mining, so Ash needed to be patient before he could aim for Bryce.

Fortunately, Ash was lucky, because the guards that stood on his way walked to the slope as well before they looked down to their leader. All of them carried a crossbow and Ash assumed that they should keep the crowd under control. Without counting them, Ash saw that it were more workers than guards, but that didn't mean that the workers would win an uprising.

"We wouldn't win an open fight …" Ash said quietly, but at first, he needed to come down anyway.

Taking advantage of the guard's distraction, Ash walked along the road and he tried to stay as close to the wall as possible. Apparently, Bryce had started with his speech, but Ash couldn't understand anything from this distance, so he could instead concentrate on the upcoming assassinations.

Pikachu walked behind his master, not wanting to catch unwanted attention.

Without much noise, Ash had eliminated the first guard. Covering the mouth of the man and keeping his blade in the stomach, Ash pulled the guard away from the edge before he leaned the body against the wall.

Slowly but surely, Ash could hear some parts of Bryce, speech.

" ….with this method we will reduce the work and increase the amount of gold that we can mine per day *knock* *knock* …." Bryce seemingly knocked onto the cages of the Pokémon. " …. those little creatures will take the risk …."

It wasn't much different with the second and third guard and soon, both of them leaned against the wall as well, leaving only two guards. Actually, it shouldn't be that difficult to assassinate them, too, and it seemed that no one had noticed his actions so far.

" ….. just send them into the holes and don't let them out until they brought the gold to the surface …"

Sneaking to the fourth guard, Ash rammed his blade into the neck of the man before he dragged him onto the way. With only one guard between him and the bottom of the mining, Ash was confident that he would finish this quest without problems.

" ….. it could perhaps reduce the time of work for you … " Bryce said sarcastically, but only Ash noticed that. " … the more gold you mine, the sooner we will release you from this work …"

The last guard, who stood in front of a thirty feet slope, looked to his boss as well, but according to Ash, he wouldn't do that much longer.

" … however, you are responsible for every crime that one of those Pokémon will commit …"

With a lot of confidence after his successful assassinations, Ash approached the guard as well before he rammed his hidden blade once again into the man's stomach. Celebrating mentally, the raven-haired killer knew that the Bryce would be the next one.

Before Ash could pull the body to the wall, the edge of the road broke away and the death body fell down. Trying to hold the weight of the guard, Ash realized that the man with his armor was too heavy and his last victim dropped down to the crowd.

Ash immediately brought distance between him and the edge.

With a loud bang, the body crashed onto the ground and all workers and guards turned around to see the latest victim of an assassin. Of course, the sight of the fallen soldier didn't cause immediately a chaos, but another guard walked to the man before he noticed that he was stabbed.

Motioning to Bryce that someone was here, the guard walked with four other guards to the beginning of the spiral-like way.

Bryce looked up, but he couldn't see anyone, not even the rest of his guards that should surround them from the way. Nevertheless, he wouldn't risk that his workers would think about a possibility of hope, so he continued with his speech.

" …. no matter if Pokémon or worker, everyone will be treated the same …. "

Ash leaned against the wall. "Shit!"

Looking down to his Pikachu, the assassin knew that the guards would walk up to them in a few moments and unfortunately, he couldn't walk back. In front and back of him were guards and that was probably the only chance of him to assassinate Bryce anyway.

Putting everything on the line, Ash nodded slowly to his rodent. Understanding, the mouse jumped onto his master's shoulder before the raven-haired trainer dashed down the way and he noticed how his heartbeat became faster. If he was able to cause a revolution among the workers, Ash would have a chance to find a way to his target.

Shortly before he reached the end of the way, the group of guards turned around the corner and spotted the invader. With much confidence, the soldiers drew their swords and aimed for the man with the white clothes.

It was time and Pikachu jumped towards the group before he released a gigantic thunderbolt onto the squad of soldiers and although it didn't knock the guards out, it gave Ash at least some time to approach them even more.

Being paralyzed for a few moments, the guards didn't move from their current position and the invader wouldn't get past them.

However, a few meters before them, Ash dashed to the side and jumped the last two meters down onto the ground. Of course, it hurt his leg, but it wasn't the right time to think about small things like that.

Standing in front of the group of workers, Ash saw that Bryce had finally noticed him,

Apparently, the speech was over and everyone turned his attention towards the assassin. Most of the workers were more or less confused and intimidated by the appearance of Ash, but Bryce seemed even more nervous. Starting with his plan to cause a revolution, Ash started his own speech.

"Are you finally finished with your speech of lies? It's a miracle how much shit one person can talk, but unlike you, I'll take action and I'm sure that some people here should think about doing the same! Most guards are eliminated and the rest will follow them now! …" Ash exclaimed with a powerful voice, approaching the group of workers.

Stepping to the side to create an alley for the unknown man, the workers listened to the assassin, much to the dismay of Bryce. One of the guards dashed towards Ash and lifted his sword, but before he could hit the assassin, his cut was blocked by the iron tail of a Pikachu. With a tail as hard as iron, the yellow rodent forced the soldier onto his back.

Bryce crunched with his teeth.

"Everyone, who thinks about joining him, should perhaps wait a few seconds and watch what will happen with idiots like him!" Bryce said with confidence and several more guards approached the assassin that stood between several workers.

"Cut this crap finally! …." Ash exclaimed.

Taking quickly two pickaxes from the workers, who didn't fight against that, Ash increased his speed when he dashed towards Bryce. Hoping that the workers would finally snap, the assassin concentrated on his next moves.

Dodging a sword cut, Ash rammed the pickaxe into the belly of the guard.

Stepping to the back, Bryce motioned to his bodyguards to shoot at the assassin with their crossbows.

Aiming for the man in the white cloak, the guards were sure that they would hit that killer, but suddenly, the crossbows were ripped away from them, preventing them to eliminate the invader. Finally taking action, some workers snapped and attacked the guards.

Pikachu shocked another group of soldiers, making it easier for the workers to overpower them.

Smirking, Ash knew that the revolution among the workers finally had started.

With the protection of the workers, Ash ran towards Bryce before he used a rock on the ground to jump towards his target. Extending his hidden blade, Ash was only a few feet away to finish that man.

**End of chapter!**

* * *

**Finally, another cliffhanger, but the chapter is quite nice. It's very important that you can imagine the location, otherwise you'll have problems to follow the explanations, especially the last part. Once again, Ash needed to improvise, but it seems as if he was successful. **

**Some things for understanding: **

**- the conversation of Gregory, Edmund and the third man didn't reveal all too much**

**- Ash decided to kill the overseer Bryce at first**

**- Needing to find a way down to the mining, Ash performed successfully a 'leap of faith' into a haystack from thirty feet**

**- May needs to help Zoey with her choosing of clothes, but the redhead convinced the brunette to have a fitting in one of her dresses**

**- Lucario still needs to work for Meowth**

**- all workers were called down to the bottom of the crater where they needed to listen to a speech of Bryce**

**- On his way down the spiral-like road, Ash eliminated several guards, but his last victim fell down into the crater**

**- Putting everything on the line, Ash tries to cause a uprising among the workers**

**That's the chapter and I hope that you're looking forward to the next one, because there will be some important events. It could be useful to read the chapter twice unless you understood it already, but actually, it shouldn't be that difficult. **

**Please don't flame! (Advanceshipping and minor Ikarishipping)**

**Please review! (The more the merrier)**


	22. Chapter 22

**It's amazing that I haven't introduced so many Pokémon characters since I started the story, but there's still enough space to include almost every character from the Anime. Moreover, there will be finally a new addition to the main characters of the story and again, Ash needs to adopt a homeless individual. **

**Story is rated M for: **Blood, murder, death, assassination, weapons, bloody injuries, swearing, torture, bad language, executions, and minor sexual content

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon or Assassin's Creed**

**R&R!**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Bryce saw how the assassin jumped towards him, but the overseer wasn't ready to die and fortunately for him, another guard had the same opinion. Still having one of the pickaxes, Ash would distract Bryce with that tool before he would use his hidden blade to assassinate that guy.

Shortly before Ash could attack his target, another man stepped into his way.

Swinging with his Claymore towards the invader, the unusual large guard defended his boss with all of his strength.

Dodging the sword cut, Ash needed to stop his sprint for now and the raven-haired assassin looked to that man that prevented him to finish his mission. Standing behind his savior, Bryce gained new confidence and the small overseer chuckled.

"He-he … don't tell me that you expected that I'm here without a bodyguard, assassin …" Bryce exclaimed, confusing Ash slightly.

The raven-haired killer lifted his head and he wondered why Bryce wasn't surprised at all to see an assassin within this kingdom.

"Surprised? My partners already told me that new assassins appeared in our kingdom, although they said that the one from Petalburg died a few days ago. Nevertheless, it wasn't a bad idea to prepare for a possible attack from someone of your breed." Bryce explained arrogantly.

"Your preparation wasn't that good then, right? It wasn't all too difficult to eliminate most of your 'preparations' and you won't be lucky either!" Ash replied with a confident voice, knowing that he shouldn't be unsure for a single moment.

Several workers overpowered some soldiers in the background and slowly but surely, it turned into the hoped-for uprising. Trying to keep some guards away from his master, Pikachu used several of his attacks to paralyze the soldiers.

"They are replaceable, just like the workers that will die today." Bryce said casually. "However, you shouldn't worry about them, but about yourself. Arthur isn't your average soldier and he'll destroy your little uprising on his own, but at first, he'll show you how to fight."

Apparently, the large soldier in front of Bryce was called Arthur and to be honest, he was a monster of a man. Standing at seven feet tall, the heavy-armored man carried a large Claymore within his hands that would cut a human in half. Moreover, he wore a helmet that didn't reveal much of his face, but according to his size, Arthur was very muscular, making Ash look like a child in comparison.

Throwing the pickaxe to the side, Ash knew that he needed his agility for this fight.

"Unfortunately for you …." Ash said, smirking. " … I'm not your average assassin either."

Bryce wasn't intimidated and Arthur wasn't either. While the workers were still trying to win the fight against the guards, Ash needed to overcome his last hurdle before he could get his hands on the weak-looking overseer. Aware that he couldn't take too much time, the assassin hoped that his injuries wouldn't distract him too much.

The noise of the uprising echoed through the mining when Ash approached his opponent. Taking a throwing knife, Ash tossed the weapon towards Arthur who easily blocked it with his armor that covered most of his body. However, while the guard was retreating from his battle position, Ash used this as an opening to slide through his legs.

Using his speed, Ash jumped towards Bryce again. It wouldn't harm to kill the leader first, so that the moral of the guards would shrink and that the uprising would become very one-sided because of that.

Unfortunately, Bryce was agile enough to dodge the attack and before the assassin could try it once more, he had to dodge an attack by Arthur. Arthur's Claymore cut the ground and the giant even carried the two-handed sword with only one hand.

Using his free arm, the guard pushed Ash to the ground.

Doing a backward roll, Ash landed on his feet before he drew his own sword, although he didn't intend to start a sword fight with that soldier.

Sensing the situation of his master, Pikachu turned to the battle before he released a thunderbolt onto that man. However, it didn't have an effect and Arthur shrugged it off before he looked for a short moment to the yellow rodent.

"Don't dare to attack my partner!" Ash made clear, starting to approach the man again.

Bryce looked on and the overseer knew that every attack on Arthur was senseless. Moreover, his guards in the background slowly but surely, controlled the uprising and the motivation of the workers wasn't that huge anymore.

"It can't be that difficult to bring him down, can it?" Ash wondered.

Once again, he dodged an attack and this time, he hit Arthur on his armor. Not making much damage, the raven-haired assassin looked for weak spot of the guard and eventually, he realized that he could only use the small cap between Arthur's helmet and his armor to hit a deadly blow.

After Arthur missed once again, Ash dashed behind that man before he climbed onto his shoulders.

"That's it!" Ash extended his two hidden blades and aimed for the neck.

Unfortunately, a stone hit the assassin right on his face and Ash was distracted long enough, so that Arthur could slam him down onto the ground. Apparently, Bryce interfered and the overseer celebrated in the back when Arthur grabbed Ash by his neck before he lifted the assassin into the air.

" … " Ash was still slightly dizzy.

"What's up with your plan to destroy the templar?" Bryce said triumphantly and he already know that he was the winner.

Pikachu fought against five guards and the rodent slowly but surely, became tired and his electro-attacks weren't that effective anymore. Ash was in danger and the mouse knew that, but there was just no way to help him somehow.

Ash's neck was squeezed and the assassin couldn't breathe properly anymore.

Only seeing fuzzy, the assassin looked onto Arthur and the Kant native refused to give up. Before Arthur could hit Ash with his weapon, the assassin lifted his arms and pierced the man's wrist with his hidden blades. It was even too much for the seven-footer and the guard dropped Ash to the ground.

However, Ash hadn't hit the artery pulse, which meant that Arthur wouldn't necessarily bleed to death with that wound. Sitting on the ground, the raven-haired killer needed some seconds to concentrate again before Arthur swung his Claymore once again towards the invader.

Bryce didn't like the assassin's stubbornness at all.

After he dodged a sword cut, Ash rammed his blades into the other arm of the guard, so that Arthur needed to drop his sword to the ground. Without his huge weapon, Arthur couldn't prevent that Ash aimed for the gap between his armor and pads.

Finally, Ash rammed his hidden blades into the stomach of the guard.

Pushing his arms with all of his strength against the man's belly, Ash wanted to turn his attention to Bryce who shouldn't be such a difficult target. However, after some seconds, Ash became confused, because the guard didn't fall down.

Bryce crunched with his teeth.

After he removed his blades from the belly, Ash wanted to turn to his main target, but suddenly, Arthur wrapped his arms around the assassin and lifted him off the ground. Squeezing with all of his might, Arthur wasn't far from finished and the guard slowly but surely, broke Ash's back.

Bursting out into laughter, Bryce didn't need to worry any longer.

"You stupid motherfucker! Did you really believe that Arthur would die because of your small blades?" Bryce said while Ash had to suffer.

Unfortunately, Arthur also trapped Ash's arms, so that the assassin couldn't use his blades.

More and more, Ash started to lose his consciousness and he fought with all of his strength against this bear hug. Like a real assassin, he didn't scream in pain, but actually, he didn't see a way to come out of this and the air left his lungs.

"You shouldn't have tried to mess with the templar in the first place, but apparently, you need to suffer to understand that." Bryce slowly walked to his guard. "It's maybe time for you to reveal your intentions and where your beloved brotherhood is located! Don't you always ask your victims shortly before their death, to show remorse for their actions? How does it feel to be the one who should show remorse?"

The overseer mocked his opponent.

Even if he was going to die today, Ash wouldn't reveal anything.

The uprising was still in full force, but no one of the workers or Pikachu could approach the battlefield of the two. Panting heavily, the yellow rodent released a thunderbolt after another, but it wasn't enough to knock the guards out.

Ash almost blacked out.

"PIKAAAAAA!" The yellow rodent yelled across the field while a tear ran down his cheek.

Suddenly, the surroundings were lighten up and something flew through the air.

Out of nowhere, Arthur's face was hit by some kind of attack and Ash believed that he spotted some ember between them. Due to the heat and burning skin, Arthur loosened his grip on the assassin and Ash used his last strength to lift his arms.

With his blades still extended, Ash rammed them into the neck of the guard to cause a deadly injury.

The blood 'shot' out of the wound and Arthur tried to stop the flood of blood with his hands, but it was senseless. After he dropped onto his knees, the large guard fell onto his side before his life ended.

Bryce didn't know what happened and the overseer started to panic. Moreover, most of his guards were overpowered again and there wasn't anyone who could help him. Trying to take advantage of Ash's weak condition, Bryce drew a dagger.

"Why can't you finally die?" Bryce exclaimed before Pikachu tackled him away.

Apparently, the rodent could finally get rid off the guards that blocked his way to his master, but it was obvious that he panted heavily after the fight. Defending his master and friend, Pikachu growled towards the overseer who stared to run away.

Turning back to his human friend, Pikachu asked quietly how Ash was doing.

Shaking his head and taking a deep breath, Ash was finally aware of the situation and the assassin immediately looked around.

"Where's he?" Ash asked desperately, knowing that it wouldn't be over as long as Bryce would be alive.

"Pikapi?" The yellow rodent wanted that his master wouldn't risk too much. After all, they won this fight and the uprising would end the gold mining of the templar, even if Bryce was still alive.

Suddenly, Ash saw Bryce, who ran towards a mineshaft at the edge of the crater. With workers blocking the only way out of the crater, the overseer wanted to hide within the shaft system of the mining, maybe even using a secret tunnel out of this location.

"He won't come away like that!" Ash promised before he followed the overseer.

The yellow rodent tried to follow as well, but his master didn't agree with that. "No, Pikachu! It's enough when I go and you need to help the workers to gain control over the mining! I count on you!"

The mouse shook his head in disagreement.

"Don't worry! I won't be killed by someone like him and you already helped me a lot, but now, you need to keep the situation under control!" Ash explained before he approached the entrance of the mineshaft.

Lowering his ears, the electro-type needed to follow the wishes of his master.

Suddenly, the mouse-Pokémon heard noises that weren't from soldiers or workers. Turning around, Pikachu spotted the cages of the guards and finally, the rodent could help some of the enslaved Pokémon of the mining as well.

* * *

Bryce already had entered the mineshaft before the assassin reached the entrance as well. Unfortunately, there were several entrances and the mineshaft system seemed to be very large, making it for Ash even more difficult to find the overseer again.

Nevertheless, he decided to enter the mineshaft.

Following the rails, Ash needed to trust his senses to find Bryce somehow, but unfortunately, he didn't hear or see anything.

On the other hand, there wear enough torches within the mining to provide Ash with enough light, but he needed to find this man eventually. Concentrating again, it was one more time for Ash's eagle eye and the assassin tried to find the aura that was emitting from the overseer.

However, shortly before he could concentrate, he was interrupted.

"I'm not that stupid, assassin!" Bryce' voice echoed through the mineshafts. "I know about your stupid ability to locate individuals with your aura stuff, but as long as you can't concentrate, you won't be able to find me!"

Apparently, Bryce tried to distract Ash with his voice and as of now, he was successful.

Looking around, Ash searched for the stupid face of the overseer, but all his words were reflected by the walls of the mining. Moreover, Ash didn't know whether Bryce could see him or not and the assassin wouldn't get the chance to concentrate long enough.

"You don't have a clue what you got yourself into to, but let me explain it. Despite your efforts to weaken my influence, you didn't know how many guards are within our assembly point, not far away from here. It won't take long until they notice what you did and when that happens, you won't be lucky anymore. " Bryce explained.

The assassin knew what Bryce wanted to do. At first, Ash should unsuccessfully try to find him until his 'friends' would come to see for him and after that, Ash wouldn't have a chance to kill Bryce anymore or to come out of the mining.

Ash stayed silent.

"You should just get it that you're two years too late! We're already too powerful to be beaten by a lonely assassin like you!" Bryce said, raising his voice.

Ash walked along the tunnel before he positioned himself into the centre of a crossroad. From that point, four tunnels were around him and it was impossible to know where Bryce could be, but Ash already had an idea.

Not moving anymore, Ash cut all his senses.

"You're alone against a whole kingdom and it won't take long until we control the other four kingdoms as well and somewhere, we will find your small brotherhood." Bryce still talked, but Ash didn't listen to him anymore.

Knowing how to confuse Bryce, Ash suddenly said.

"I found you!" Ash said surprisingly.

Bryce was confused and the overseer looked around in his small hideout, but the assassin wasn't near him at all. Unfortunately, the templar created enough noise to make it easier for Ash to find him finally and the raven-haired killer started to walk.

"You stupid fucker! You can't frighten me with something like that!" Bryce said, although a drop of sweat went down his face after this moment of shock.

Again, Ash was silent.

The silence kept on and the overseer wondered what the assassin was doing, but somehow, he noticed that Ash wasn't far away from him. As soon as he heard a noise behind him, Bryce started to panic and the man drew his sword to defend himself.

Using the shadows for his advantage, Ash sneaked silently over the ground.

_It's smart from him to hide up there …. _Ash thought, seeing that the templar stood within a smaller shaft ten feet above the actual ground. Apparently, the man used a ladder that he pulled with him up into the shaft after he reached the spot.

"If you ran away now, you could have a chance to come out of this alive!" Bryce said, suggesting that Ash should walk away. Once again, silence enveloped the mining and the overseer carefully peeked out from the shaft.

Out of nowhere, he was hit with a throwing knife that pierced his right shoulder.

"You-you-you …. Should think about it again!" Bryce pleaded, leaning against the wall.

Ash didn't want to think and the assassin used a supporting pillar to rich a timber that was close to the top of the shaft. Still taking advantage of the shadow, Ash knew that Bryce wouldn't come down from his hideout, at least not yet.

After some moments of silence, Ash took a torch from the wall and used it to create shadows within the shaft of the overseer. It was a childish act, but everything was allowed.

As soon as he spotted the shadow of a hand next to him, Bryce freaked out and the templar left his hideout. It was too easy and the overseer jumped down into the actual tunnel before he ran for his life.

"Leave me alone! ….."

Using his chance, Ash fell down from his timber and rammed his hidden blade into the back of the neck of the templar. Of course, Ash didn't expect that Bryce would be such a coward, but apparently, there were all kind of individuals within this organization.

Pulling the blade out of the neck, Ash had to realize that Bryce was already dead, although he would still have some questions for him. After he turned him around, Ash closed the eyes of his latest victim before he wished him rest in peace.

"Don't let your fears take control; take control over your fears!"

Eventually, Ash finished this man and the assassin thought silently about the incidents.

* * *

Ryan still waited together with Tracey within the living room and the two men wondered what took the two ladies that long. Everything was ready and the artist could start with the portrait, although he would need at least thirty minutes to find the right pose for Zoey.

Finally, the red-haired girl walked down the stairs and she wore a nice blouse, different bracelets and even a flower within her hair.

"Zoey, it's nice that you found the right clothes, but say; where's May?" Ryan asked, waiting for the girl that was supposed to help his daughter.

"Oh, dad!" Zoey said before she giggled slightly. "She's a bit shy, but I'm sure that you wouldn't recognize her again."

Ryan shrugged, not knowing what to think.

"Come on, May! My father waits for us!" Zoey shouted to the top of the stairs.

"No! I'm not even allowed to wear those clothes!" May said quietly from the stairs and apparently, she sounded quite shy about something. Of course, Ryan and Tracey were slightly confused and the two men didn't know why May should be nervous; Zoey needed to pose for the portrait after all.

Suddenly, the redhead dashed up the stairs before she seemingly pulled the brunette down to the living room. May's whining didn't bring anything and the orphan soon stood between the doorframes of the living room's door.

Ryan made big eyes when he spotted May with a dress that he originally bought for his daughter, but she always denied to wear it, no matter how much Ryan pleaded her. However, it was also the first time that he saw that dress on a person and to be honest, it looked gorgeous.

"I'm sorry, sir!" May said quickly, bowing down. "Your daughter insisted that I have a fitting in these clothes, but I know that you bought them for her!"

"She looks nice, doesn't she?" Zoey said out of the blue.

"Well, she looks nice, but why don't you wear this dress, Zoey?" Ryan admitted that the Arabic outfit suited the girl, but he would still prefer to see it on his daughter's body.

"Dad, you know that I don't like belly-free tops and long skirts, but May is the right person for that." Zoey defended her decision to give the brunette her dress.

" … well, okay …" Ryan shook his head, but he loved his daughter too much to argue with her about it and it was time for the portrait anyway. "She looks great, but now, we need to start with the portrait as soon as possible!"

Zoey nudged May gently to show her that she could stop with her bow.

The red-haired girl walked to the chimney before she sat down onto the stool in front of it. It would be a torture to sit on it for a longer period of time, but her father wished for a portrait and one day wouldn't kill Zoey.

When Zoey talked with her father about something, May stood next to Tracey and the artist couldn't suppress his urge to ask something. Of course, he could only assume that May wanted 'something' fro ash, but it seemed too obvious to him.

"Do you think that Ash would like this dress?" Tracey asked quietly.

"Uh …" May blushed slightly before she answered naively. "Why should your Rapidash like my dress? …"

"Human behavior …." Tracey chuckled knowingly. "It's always interesting …."

"What do you mean with that?" May demanded to know, but the artist didn't respond.

Eventually, Zoey was finished with her conversation with her father and it was time for Tracey to put her into the right pose for the portrait. Actually, Zoey looked beautiful from every perspective, but nevertheless, Tracey needed to decide for one.

"Could you please lift your head slightly?" Tracey requested and the redhead followed the instructions.

"So?"

"Only a few more millimeters!" Tracey said. "Could you also put both of your hands onto your legs and relax your elbows! Turn your body slightly to me until I say stop!"

It followed a list of instructions until Zoey finally reached the right position for Tracey's liking. Being a professional, the artist wouldn't be satisfied with anything but the best, therefore it took some time. Ryan looked on and Zoey's father couldn't remember that his daughter had every followed so many instructions without complaining a single time.

May looked out of a window and she had such a feeling as if Ash needed her help.

"Perfect!" Tracey exclaimed. "Stay in that position and don't move!"

Zoey sweatdropped, because it already annoyed her to sit like that. At least, the portrait was finally in the making and Tracey could concentrate solely onto his art while the brown-haired assistant worried about a certain raven-haired assassin that was on his own.

* * *

It was still early in the morning and most inhabitants of Petalburg slowly but surely started to wake up and start to work. It had been quite idyllic since the event in front of the castle, but some individuals knew more than other ones.

Again, it was a school day and a certain blue-haired girl hoped that she would see a friend again.

"Dad, do you think that May will come to school despite her stay at Ash's hideout?" Dawn asked eagerly, not having seen her best friend for a few days already.

"Don't know, Dawn …" Chris answered and actually, he doubted that the brunette would even want to go to school after what happened in her life as of late. "She hasn't had an easy time since her home burned down and her stepfather left her alone …."

"I know …." Dawn lowered her head.

Suddenly, Eevee dashed into the kitchen and the small fox jumped happily through the house, because Dawn told her that they would see May again today. Moreover, the small normal-type hoped that they could pay a certain rodent a visit.

Putting some Pokémon food onto the ground, Dawn thought about a visit.

As soon as Eevee finished her breakfast, Dawn took some utensils before she gave her father a goodbye kiss. She would never think again that it was normal to have parents, therefore she tried to show her parents that she loved them more than everything else.

"I'm off to school!" Dawn said before she left her parent's house.

Like a lightning, Eevee followed her as well and the fox couldn't wait to see her 'mother' again.

Wandering to her school, the blunette noticed the pet of her best friend and she couldn't be mad at the fox, because she was excited as well to talk with her best friend forever. Of course, Pokémon weren't allowed within the school, but the fox always waited in front of the building for a few hours.

"You can't wait to see May again, right?" Dawn said rhetorically.

The fox nodded happily.

"I hope that she comes to school, but if not, I'll go to their hideout and look for her. It's my duty as her friend to make sure that Ash treats her well, although we owe him much more than he owes us …." Dawn didn't trust Ash like a brother, but he saved her father and that was at least something.

If Dawn only knew ….

* * *

Apparently, the workers, with the help of Pikachu, finally overpowered the remaining guards and most of them voluntarily surrendered after Arthur's death. It was too much to fight without their strongest guard and nobody knew what happened to Bryce.

Pikachu eagerly waited for his master and the rodent became slightly impatient.

After some more minutes, Ash finally left the mineshaft, carrying Bryce' death body on his shoulders.

The yellow rodent jumped happily on his feet and multiple workers started to growl when they saw the man that saved them from Arthur and Bryce's terror reign. Unlike them, the caught guards looked with disbelieve to the assassin, although most of them knew about Bryce's cowardice.

Dropping the body onto the ground, Ash took a deep breath.

"Bryce won't force you anymore to work in this mining!" Ash exclaimed. "Nevertheless, there are still some guards outside of the mining; therefore you should take the weapons from the guards to overpower them as well. After that, you should return to your families and try to move to some other place."

Some workers followed Ash's words.

Like always, the assassin wasn't eager to be celebrated as a hero, so he needed to leave this place as well.

However, his yellow rodent already stood next to his feet and pulled on his tights. Pointing to a direction, the electro-mouse wanted that his master would take care of the cages and release the enslaved Pokémon from their prison.

"Shouldn't the workers care for them?" Ash said, not wanting to care for more than he need to.

Being stubborn, the rodent insisted that his master should look for them, especially a certain fire-type that helped him a lot during his fight against Arthur. Eventually, Ash agreed to look for them, but he wouldn't look for a new home for them.

After he walked to the cages, Ash kneeled down to see, which kinds of Pokémon were within them.

"Let's see ….." Ash said casually. "They wanted to use a Sandshrew, a Rattata, a Cubone, a Torchic and a Trecko for their mining …."

Not thinking more about it, Ash opened the five cages before he motioned to the Pokémon to leave and return to their homes within the forest. "Leave! You're free and you can return to your friends. If you want thank someone, you should praise Pikachu for his stubbornness!"

Apparently, the Pokémon thanked the assassin and the rodent before they left for their home.

Sighing, Ash looked around and he needed to think about the way out of the mining. With help from the workers, he should be able to overcome the guards before he would think about the next events of the current day. After he killed Bryce, Ash didn't have another target, although he knew that Edmund, Gregory and the mysterious soldier were somewhere else.

Suddenly, Pikachu called for his trainer and the assassin looked down to see his rodent with two 'friends'.

"What the …..?" Ash exclaimed, seeing that Trecko and Torchic hadn't left.

The two Hoenn Pokémon stood next to Pikachu and both of them didn't want to leave.

"Pikachu, tell them that they need to leave as fast as possible!" Ash ordered his rodent and the electro-type communicated with the two other Pokémon. Speaking for them, Trecko answered and the grass-type explained his opinion of view.

Turning to Ash again, Pikachu lifted his paws and shook his head.

"They don't have to worry, Pikachu. It won't take long before the way to the forest is free again." Ash thought that the two Pokémon were only afraid to walk the way up to the guards.

Again, Trecko talked with Pikachu.

"Lucario, where are you when I need you the most …." Ash whispered into the wind, knowing that his aura Pokémon could easily communicate with this wild Pokémon. Actually, the assassin didn't have time for this anyway, because most workers were ready to fight against the remaining guards.

After Trecko was finished, Pikachu turned to his trainer.

"They'll find their way, pal, but now we need to leave!" Ash clarified, motioning to his electro-type to jump onto his shoulder. As soon as Pikachu sat on his shoulder, Ash walked away to the spiral-like way that leaded to the exit of the crater.

Unfortunately, Ash heard strange noises of steps behind him.

When he turned around, he had to realize that Trecko and Torchic followed him.

"No, no, no! NO!" Ash motioned to them to stay where they are. "Don't follow me! It's too dangerous for Pokémon like you and I don't have time to bring you back to the forest!"

Trecko and Torchic listened.

After he believed that they understood, Ash continued to walk away, but the two Hoenn Pokémon followed him with every step that he took. Sighing, Ash looked over his shoulder to see that the grass and fire-types didn't put their eyes from him.

Again, Ash turned around.

"Didn't you understand me?" Ash said with an annoyed voice. "I don't have time to bring you back to your home and I'll return to Petalburg anyway."

Like usual, Torchic and Trecko listened carefully, but according to the facial expression, they didn't decide to leave the side of the assassin. Looking at him with big eyes, the two Pokémon waited until they could leave with the raven-haired killer.

"Can't you do anything, pal?" Ash asked his Pikachu, but the rodent shook slowly his head, knowing what those Pokémon wanted from them.

Most workers were armed by now and the group of several men was ready to finish this slavery from the templar. If Ash remembered correctly, there would be fifteen guards in front of the mining, which meant that the workers had the favor in the number's game.

"Are you fit again?" Ash asked his rodent and the yellow mouse nodded, being ready to end this mission on a high note.

Looking again to the two Hoenn Pokémon, Ash knew that he needed to get rid off them. No way that he could care for more individuals, although Tracey seemed like a good babysitter for most of Ash's followers, especially May.

Suddenly, Ash started to dash away and the assassin spotted a winch near a slop that leaded to a higher level of the mining. With Trecko and Torchic on his heels, the assassin extended his hidden blade before he cut the rope of the winch, so that the counterweight at the other end of the rope dropped down, pulling the assassin up.

When he looked down, Ash chuckled triumphantly to the Pokémon that couldn't follow him like that.

Once he reached the end of the winch, the raven-haired assassin set his eyes on the exit of the mining.

Taking the normal way out of the mining, the workers needed more time than the assassin to reach the end of the spiral.

"Hmm …. " Ash murmured, thinking about the upcoming fight between workers and guards. "It's not our business to help those workers, but we started this uprising and we should end it as well!"

Finally, Ash could start a fight against the guards, because his target couldn't flee anymore.

Sneaking up to the end of the way, Ash saw that the remaining guards hadn't noticed the fight that happened down in the mining. Moreover, the guards at the entrance of the crater stood with their backs to the assassin who could easily approach them.

"Remember, pal! We don't need to kill anyone, but enough, so that the workers can overpower them, okay?" Ash needed to be careful with archers and the yellow rodent agreed.

After he took a last deep breath, Ash walked between the two guards.

The two soldiers were more than surprised to see an invader, especially someone who seemingly came out from the mining. Unfortunately, they didn't have time to react when Ash extended both of his hidden blades before he rammed them to both sides into the necks of the guards.

After they dropped to the ground, Ash caught the attention of the remaining guards.

"INVADER!" This call echoed through the location.

"Could be my surname …." Ash whispered, talking about the several times that he was called like that.

With a quick move, Ash took a throwing knife before he threw it into the forehead of a guard that approached him. All the attention was on him and the assassin was soon surrounded by three more guards that wanted to make quick work of him.

One archer aimed with a crossbow before he shot onto the assassin.

With lightning fast reflexes, Pikachu blocked the arrow with an iron tail before he paralyzed the guard with another thunderbolt. Apparently, there were more guards than Ash expected, because several men left the forest to aid their friends.

It was three on one for the assassin, but Ash thought that it was easier than his battle against Arthur.

When one guard hit for him, Ash dodged the attack before he sneaked behind the guard. Right in that moment, another guard aimed for Ash, but the raven-haired assassin used the guard in front of him as a human shield, so that one guard fell dead to the ground.

Not even a second later, Ash used his free hand to extend a hidden blade to ram it into the throat of the guard. Turning quickly around, the killer pierced his sword through the stomach of the third guard, but it was far from over for the Kanto native.

Working as a team, Pikachu and Ash faced four more guards.

Ash had his sword within his right hand and Pikachu clanged onto his master's left arm before he used iron tail to block several sword cuts. Acting as some kind of shield, Pikachu protected his friend while Ash eliminated one guard after another.

"They should reach the exit any minute …" Ash murmured, hoping that the workers wouldn't take too long.

Ash bowed down when a guard aimed with a halberd for him before he stole the sword of another guard to ram it into the ribcage of another man that approached him. Another sword cut was aimed for him, but the assassin parried it, so that he could grab the arm of that soldier to twist it behind the man's back.

With force, Ash stabbed the weapon through the back of the guard, eliminating another man.

Finally, the workers reached the exit of the crater and the group was amazed when they saw how many guards were defeated by that one assassin. On the other hand, it only motivated them to fight as well and the dozens of freed slaves dashed towards the shrinking group of soldiers.

Slowly but surely, the guards lost their motivation and soon, most of them were either dead, caught or fled from the assembly point.

Ash put his sword back before he watched the cheering workers that celebrated their successful uprising and newfound freedom.

However, there was still a guard and this one approached Ash from the back before he lifted his sword. Not even Pikachu noticed that man, but out of nowhere, the guard was hit in the face with something that looked like ember again.

"What? …" Ash only now noticed that soldier, but he immediately extended his blade again before he hit it into the stomach of the last guard. After he pushed that man away, the raven-haired assassin wondered who had helped him.

Pikachu looked around before he spotted two familiar faces on the ground.

"Uh … you again?" Ash said with a disappointed voice when he saw Trecko and Torchic not far away from them. Apparently, the two Pokémon dashed up the way along with the workers until they found the assassin again.

Approaching the duo, Pikachu explained for the hundredth time that they could return to their homes.

However, Ash noticed something. When he was saved from the bear hug of Arthur, he had seen an ember attack that was similar to that one that he saw a few seconds ago. It wasn't easy for the raven-haired Kanto-native to admit it, but apparently, the little Torchic had saved him ….. Twice.

"Pikachu, it could be that this Pokémon …." Ash pointed to that fire Pokémon. " …. saved us."

Pikachu tilted his head before he asked the chick about this. Without answering, Torchic shot an Ember attack into the sky, implying that it was her who used it on Arthur and the guard before.

Swallowing his pride, Ash kneeled down to the Pokémon.

"Uh … I think that means that I need to thank you, but after we saved each other, we're even!" Ash clarified, not wanting to owe a Pokémon something.

However, Trecko was there as well and the grass-type crossed its arm.

Actually, everything was said and Ash needed to think about his next steps.

Unfortunately, Trecko and Torchic still didn't leave and the two Pokémon looked at the assassin with big eyes. Ash wondered why those two didn't want to leave, because the forest was only ten feet away from them.

"*sigh* …. What's wrong with you two?" Ash exclaimed angrily, being annoyed to be confronted with situations like that.

Strangely enough, the two Pokémon even took a step towards Ash and they acted like small baby cats that wanted something to eat. More and more, Ash doubted that the two Hoenn Pokémon were home within the forest at all.

"I'm sorry if you two lost your home, but I can't look for a new one for you! That's impossible!" Ash clarified.

Pikachu tried as well to convince the duo to leave for the forest, but both of them shook their heads before they looked with big expectation towards the Kanto assassin. It didn't look good for Ash and the raven-haired killer looked around to find a way to drop the responsibility of them.

"Hey, what's that?" Ash exclaimed, pointing to some place.

Trecko and Torchic turned to that spot, but there wasn't anything.

When they turned back, they had to realize that the assassin fooled them and Ash had dashed away.

* * *

Zoey already posed for almost an hour and the redhead got problems to sit on that stool without any movement. It annoyed her as well that she didn't know how far Tracey was with the portrait, but she tried to stay calm. With every passing second, her head became heavier and her legs fell asleep.

During the work, May needed to 'assist' Tracey with some parts of his work, for example adjusting the light several time.

According to May's facial expression, Zoey could see that the portrait seemed to be good, but she would only believed it if she saw it herself.

"Dad, could we have a break?" Zoey asked without moving too much.

"Sweety, you know that it takes some time and Tracey already works as fast as he can." Ryan answered, although he understood the impatience of his daughter. In addition, he liked the silence during the work and Tracey's art was always perfect.

May smiled nervously towards the redhead, because she knew how long it could take.

Suddenly, Tracey put his paintbrush onto the table before he turned to his client. Apparently, Da Vinci noticed the strain of Ryan's daughter and the inventor wouldn't freak out to take a break.

"I think it's a good time to have a break, sir, because I finished a good part of the portrait and it shouldn't be difficult for me to continue later." Tracey explained, stretching his arms and legs after that long work.

"If you think so." Ryan answered, not seeing a reason to give an advice to an artist how he should draw a portrait.

Finally, Zoey could stand up from the stool and the redhead stretched her arms and legs as well and she didn't believe that she could have sit one minute longer on that thing. Moreover, it was shortly before midday, which meant that it wasn't a bad idea to eat something.

Walking to the other ones, the red-haired girl looked onto the beginning of the portrait.

"Wow, it's great …." Zoey said without thinking, noticing that the person on the easel looked exactly like her, although many details were still missing. Nevertheless, she had never thought that someone could draw a picture of her that looked that great.

"It's a good start, but I'll try to make it as good as I can, because your father deserves a portrait of his daughter that shows you like you are." Tracey responded.

"How am I?" Zoey asked curiously.

"You're …. "Tracey thought for some moments to find the right words. " … a lovely, self-confident, strong and young woman that has her own opinion about things, I guess."

"Oh … thanks …" Zoey replied, blushing slightly to hear those words from someone that didn't know her all too well. However, the redhead wasn't one of those girls that believed in romantic stuff, but apparently, she felt flattered.

May noticed the blush of Ryan's daughter, but she stayed silent about it. She wasn't Zoey's best friend and she wasn't allowed to assume things that weren't proved. The longer she stayed with Tracey the more she worried about Ash's well-being.

"I'm sorry that I can't offer you a lunch, but normally, we eat within the small pub of our village." Ryan revealed, knowing that his guests had to be hungry.

"That's no problem, sir." Tracey answered, still having the money from Ash that he gave him to buy May some food.

Suddenly, they heard noises of Rapidashs.

**End of chapter!**

* * *

**That's the end of chapter twenty-two and I think that there are still some questions that needed to be answered within the next chapter. Nevertheless, I hope that I included enough actions and surprises within this chapter to make you happy. **

**It's interesting to see how Ash's personality changes between enemies and friends, right? Acting like a badass towards templar, Ash shows his unsure and caring side towards other ones, although he tries to cover some of his emotions. **

**The life of an assassin isn't easy, especially the one of Ash. **

**Some aspects for understanding: **

**- Arthur is the bodyguard of Bryce; he's seven feet tall, very muscular, strong and he rarely say anything to make him some kind of mysterious**

**- The uprising was a back-and-forth fight, but eventually, the workers could overpower the guards**

**- When Ash was trapped with a bear hug, Torchic, within a cage, shot an Ember attack onto the face of Arthur to create an opening for Ash to kill that guard; Ash didn't realize Torchic' help at first**

**- Bryce fled into a mineshaft to hide from the assassin**

**- May wears the Arabian outfit for now**

**- Tracey started the portrait of Zoey**

**- Dawn has to go to school again and she hopes to meet May, who hadn't seen her for tow days**

**- Dan and Eeevee want to visit Ash and the others at their hideout (Lucario is still working for Meowth)**

**- Ash met Torchic and Trecko**

**Seemingly, Ash refuses to care for two more Pokémon, but will the assassin get rid off them?**

**Please don't flame! (Advanceshipping and slight Ikarishipping)**

**If you liked the chapter, you can leave a review!**


	23. Chapter 23

**In the last chapter, we learned about Ash's quest to destroy the gold mining and apparently, he has successfully completed his mission. However, with one quest finished, there appeared more questions, surrounding the templar conspiracy. **

**Story is rated M for: **Blood, murder, death, assassinations, weapons, bloody injuries, swearing, torture, bad language, executions, and minor sexual content

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon or Assassin's Creed**

**R&R!**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

The noises of hooves that hit the ground caught the attention of Ryan and his guests, but apparently, John Ryan seemed to know who was coming to their small village. According to his facial expression, he wasn't very happy that the passengers of the carriage visited this place again.

May walked to the window before she looked to the street where she spotted some Rapidashs and a carriage that stopped in front of the pub of the town. Of course, the brunette realized that the passengers needed to be rich or noble people, because of the expensive-looking carriage.

Tracey looked to Ryan, not understanding the silence.

"Is something wrong?" The artist asked carefully.

"No, but it's really not the best time to go to the pub now." Ryan answered mysteriously. "If you want, I can offer you some drinks and snacks for now."

"Actually, I wouldn't mind to have lunch within the pub and I have enough money to pay the meals for me and my assistant, sir. It's no big deal that - - -" Tracey was interrupted by Ryan who didn't want to listen to Da Vinci's whole statement.

"It's not about the money!" Ryan exclaimed, blocking the way out of the house. "We'll just need to wait for an hour or so, but I have to request you that you don't leave the house during that time! It's very important, Mr. Da Vinci!"

"Uh … okay." Tracey replied, being a bit intimidated, but Ryan knew more about this location than the artist did, therefore it was senseless to protest against the decision of the householder.

"I appreciate your understanding and now, we can go into our kitchen and drink something and eat some snacks. There are still some things that I would love to know about your hometown." Ryan sighed in relieve, walking to the kitchen of the house and Tracey followed him thoughtfully.

May still stood near the window and the brunette wondered what was wrong.

"I'm sorry for my father's dramatic behavior, but he doesn't want that you or Tracey get involved in this whole thing." Zoey approached the brown-haired girl, having experienced such situations more than once in the past.

"You don't have to be sorry." May responded calmly.

"Oh, no 'milady' this time?" Zoey teased the brunette, but actually, the redhead was quite happy that May started to talk with her like a friend, not just like a client. It was already enough that Tracey treated Zoey's father like a noble person, although he wasn't all to rich either.

"I'm sorry, milady!" May bowed down again, feeling terrible that she forgot to behave nicely.

"It would be nice if you call my by my name from now on, okay? We aren't noble and to be honest, I wouldn't like it to be noble anyway." Zoey answered before she looked out of the window as well when three individuals left the carriage.

All of them were grown up men, although there were obvious age differences between them. On the other hand, it was out of question that those guys weren't here to help the village with their presence, although they might believed it.

"Who are they?" May said curiously.

"They are high-ranked followers of the king and it has become quite normal that they visit our village to rest at our pub. Normally, they only eat something and show off their influence before they leave for their work again." Zoey answered without much enthusiasm.

"Are they friendly to the people of your village?"

"It depends on the way how you define friendly." The redhead said, sighing. "They've never paid for their meals at our pub and during their last visits, they even confiscated some Rapidashs of some people, saying that they needed them to protect our village from enemies."

May started to become restless.

"What's wrong?"

"You said that they confiscate Rapidashs within your town, right? They wouldn't dare to take Rapidashs from visitors of the town, would they?" May said fearfully, liking Tracey's horses too much to let them be taken away.

"Did you travel to our town with Rapidashs?" Zoey asked carefully.

"How should we have come to your village without them?" May said sternly.

"Don't worry too much!" Zoey said calmly. "I suppose that you left your horses at our stable, right? We can easily lead them into the forest until the men left our village again."

"Didn't your father tell us that we shouldn't leave the house now?" May questioned.

"My father wouldn't even let me out of our house during a small hail storm. Let's go and hide your Rapidashs within the woods!" Zoey said with a smile.

May returned the smile before they sneaked out of the house.

Ryan and Tracey didn't notice the disappearance of the girls when they were within the kitchen.

* * *

It was midday and the sun was at its highest point, that's why most Pokémon within the forest looked curiously to the individuals that dashed through their woods. Orientating via sun, Ash could only guess where he would find the village of Tracey's client.

"Sometimes a map wouldn't be that bad, huh?" Ash said rhetorically when he leaned against a tree.

Pikachu shrugged.

"I just hope that it was enough to eliminate the overseer of the mining and free all of the workers. It would be a disaster to hear that they just rebuild it without much effort, but to be honest, we shouldn't invest too much time into this mission." Ash said, being lost in his thoughts. "Master Oak probably already waits eagerly for my letter."

Suddenly, Pikachu's ear twitched and the rodent believed that he heard something.

"Did you hear something?" Ash asked, raising an eyebrow.

The yellow mouse didn't know, because it shouldn't be too unusual to hear something within a forest, but it seemed that someone followed them through the forest. It could be everything from guards to workers or even a Pokémon.

"Whatever …" Ash waved it off before he looked to the sun again.

After he orientated more or less on the sun, he decided to beat some miles.

Running, the assassin thought for a few seconds about May and if Tracey treated her well during his absence, although he knew that everything was better than to be part of his mission. Nevertheless, the thought caught up with him, every time he tried to forget it.

_Was it a good idea to leave her with Tracey? … It seemed that she doesn't know anything besides Petalburg, but on the other hand, she wouldn't be much of a help during my quests anyway … It's time that she finds a new home as soon as we are back in the city …_

Ash quickly dodged a twig.

_In the worst case it could be that - - -_

Suddenly, Ash stepped into a loop with his foot and within seconds, Ash was lifted upside down into the air before everything stopped. Obviously, the assassin forgot to be careful enough and now he stepped into a trap.

"Pikapi!" The yellow rodent looked worriedly to his master.

"Don't worry!" Ash explained. "I just thought it was a good time to hang around a bit, but that's not a problem that can't be solved with a blade."

Lifting his upper body up, Ash extended his hidden blade again to cut the rope.

However, out of nowhere, an arrowhead appeared in front of his face and within seconds, Ash and Pikachu were surrounded by a dozen 'men' that pointed with bows onto them. Apparently, Ash's misstep resulted in bigger problems than expected.

Pikachu produced some electricity around its cheeks.

However, Ash motioned to him to keep it low.

"What do we have here? A lonely ranger who got lost within the woods or a snooper?"

Ash raised an eyebrow, because he could swear that a woman talked with him right now and he knew that templar didn't allow woman to be leaders of their factions. At least, he wasn't caught by a bunch of templar, although he needed to be careful nevertheless.

When Ash didn't answer, the person in front of him took the bow and arrow away before the individual removed its hood to reveal a woman's face. Spotting middle-long and dark-green hair, the stranger stared at the assassin.

Although he hang upside down, Ash smirked and he shook slightly his head.

Unexpectedly, the female gave Ash a giant slap across the face, so that the educated killer turned several times around himself before he started to turn slowly into the other direction again. Of course, his yellow rodent growled towards that woman.

After she stopped Ash's movement when she held him gently on his chin, the woman still stared at the assassin.

"A small joker, huh?" The green-haired person said sweetly. "Let's see who we got here!"

Quickly, the woman removed Ash's hood to look into his face and at first, Ash's killer expression startled the leader. Seemingly, she then motioned to some of her followers to step to the side before a weird creature walked pat then.

Ash lowered his hand with his hidden blade.

"Gloom, sleep powder!" The woman said before she stepped several steps to the back.

Quickly, Ash lifted his upper body before he cut the rope around his legs with his blade. Using his athleticism, the raven-haired assassin landed on his feet and put his hood over his head, but he was already enveloped by the power, just like Pikachu.

Although he fought against it, Ash couldn't pretend to black out and his yellow rodent didn't suffer a better fate than its master. Eventually, the assassin and his trusty Pokemon fell asleep on the ground and the woman put her hood back on.

"What do we do with him?" A follower asked the leader.

"To be honest, it's the first time that I'm confronted with someone like him, but his equipment is too good to be from our foes. As long as we don't know more about him, we should take him with us to our hideout." The green hair responded.

"Is that a good idea?" The follower questioned.

"We can still let him disappear later on! However, take him to our hideout and his small follower as well." The female leader ordered and several of her companions lifted the knocked-out assassin from the ground before they took him to another place.

Snoring, Pikachu slept peacefully in the arms of a stranger.

Two smaller individuals looked on and they weren't happy to see their savior in such a situation.

* * *

In a time where the forty hour week wasn't invented, Lucario knew that the bar owner, Meowth, would let him work as long as possible until he would get the information from him. Unlike past times, the cat's bar had a significant amount of guests, including workers, vendors and even some guards.

Wearing a stupid apron, the aura user used an absence from Meowth to start a conversation with Lt. Surge.

"How does it come that a large man like you doesn't do something important during this time of the day?" The blue Pokemon asked, leaning slightly on the counter.

At first, Lucario just received a loud belch as a respond.

"Why is a dog talking to me … *belch*" Surge was obviously drunk. "I knew it! This speaking cat put something into my drink! Wait until I get my hands on him!"

Surge almost fell over.

"I thought you would be able to drink more than that, but actually, is there a reason for all this alcohol?"

"A man can drink as much as he wants and just because I don't think that my king's dead doesn't mean that I can't lead a sword anymore!" Surge answered slightly angrily.

"King? King Cyrus?" Lucario asked follow-up questions.

"Cyrus? He isn't even as half as good as a king as my true leader! Never, ever again tell me that Cyrus is my king!" Surge became even angrier and the former lieutenant bowed dangerously towards the aura user before he eventually fell onto the ground.

Too much alcohol caused surge to black out, but at least, Lucario could assume that the former warrior could help him to find the real king again.

Right in time, Meowth appeared from another room again and the cat seemed to be quite surprised.

"Did someone finally give him a beat down?" Meowth smirked.

Lucario shrugged and it didn't matter to him, but what mattered was how Ash was doing with his mission and if he was already on the way back from the mining.

* * *

Zoey showed May a small door that leaded them out of the house through the side before they peeked around the corner to see the carriage of the unwelcome guests. May noticed that nobody was on the street during that time, increasing her assumption that those guys were maybe foes of Ash.

"There's no one on the street …" May whispered.

"Of course! No one will be confronted with them and it's not rare that they try to 'convince' individuals from our village to join their army." Zoey said quietly. "Oh! They are in the pub! Let's get your Rapidashs quick!"

Like a lightning, the redhead dashed over the street towards the stable of the small village.

After some time, they finally reached the two Pokemon and Tracey's horses seemed to be restless, because of the ongoing danger within this village. Although she only knew them for a short time, May loved all Pokemon, with the exception of Persian of course.

"Your friend has some nice horses." Zoey admitted when she caressed one of them.

"I know … they are great." May responded.

"Do they have names?" Zoey asked curiously when she looked for the reigns of the smaller Rapidash.

" … " May didn't want to tell her that the Rapidashs had the same names as her and a certain raven-haired assassin. After she shrugged, May loosened the reigns of the horse before she wanted to lead it slowly to the forest behind the stable.

Suddenly, they heard a crashing noise from the inside of the pub.

Moreover, a chair flew through the window of the pub and landed on the street close to the carriage and its Rapidashs. Startled by the sudden impact, they whinnied and stomped onto the ground which caught the attention of 'Ash and May' as well.

May's Rapidash immediately ran straight away towards the street.

"Ash! Please, come back!" May shouted desperately before she followed the fire-type towards the street. Fortunately, Zoey's Rapidash didn't start to freak out and the redhead didn't know what to do right now.

Leaving 'May' at the stable, the redhead followed her newfound friend.

Eventually, May caught up with the runaway and she immediately tried to calm the poor horse down, whispering into his ear. Seconds later, Zoey arrived as well and the red-haired individual motioned silently that they should leave as soon as possible.

"We need to get away …" Zoey said concerned.

Unfortunately, the door of the pub opened and the three templar left the building.

"Next time you should think about it before you decide not to buy enough alcohol for our visit!" Gregory shouted with a smirk.

"Such ungrateful bastards!" Edmund, the oldest of the group, said before he noticed the small individuals next to their carriage. Like always, the youngest and black haired individual followed the other two members with a small distance.

Zoey already clang to May's arm to pull her away.

"Do the two ladies want something from us?" Gregory said, although he liked what he saw in the two girls.

"I'm sorry!" Zoey apologized practically for nothing, but May noticed that the redhead was under pressure. Deciding that Zoey should talk, May looked sheepishly away and held the reign of the Rapidash tightly in her hand.

"Your Rapidash looks strong." Gregory said with a smile and the horse already hid behind May.

"Thanks!" Zoey said with crunched teeth. "Unfortunately, he's ill at the moment and we'll need to care some weeks for him until he's fit again."

Again a lie.

"At least, he isn't that ill that he couldn't walk anymore , right? Wouldn't it be great if your Rapidash could help to protect your village?" Gregory said.

"I'm sorry, sir, but our Rapidash has a hard time to adapt to other people's orders. He would cause more problems than help." Zoey explained with a 'disappointed' voice and she became even more restless now.

"I'm sure that we can rely on our experienced trainers to care for your horse." Gregory said and he already walked towards 'Ash' before he took the reigns. However, May pulled the reigns away again, although she caught the attention.

"Oh! Who do we have here?" Gregory said and his two followers already smirked slightly.

"She's just a cousin from me!" Zoey explained hectically. "She only visits me!"

"At least, she looks nice!" Gregory said. "Wouldn't you be interested in a job?"

"I'm sorry, sir, but I still go to school!" May finally responded on her own and she didn't like it at all that a man twice as old as her came that close to her. Unfortunately, it became more and more obvious that this confrontation wouldn't end good.

"That's not bad. You won't need to be able to read, write or calculate." Gregory said when he went with his hand over May's shoulder. "You already wear the right dress for a dancer job for our high-ranked members of our barracks."

Pushing the hand away, May took two steps to the back.

"It was a pleasure to meet you, but my cousin and I need to go back home!" Zoey said and she already moved slowly backwards.

"You should know that you can't just withdraw from our offers!" Gregory said before he turned around to give his black-haired follower an order with his hands. The old Edmund just stayed in the back, because he knew that his coworkers knew how to solve this problem.

Unexpectedly, Gregory grabbed May tightly by her arm before he intended to pull her to their carriage.

Immediately, Zoey came to the aid of her 'friend' before she gave Gregory a giant slap across his face, but unfortunately, the redhead was grabbed the unknown black-haired and younger man, who was visibly the strongest of them all.

"Let me go!" May demanded sternly.

Zoey stomped onto the foot of her attacker, but it didn't work at all. The more she tried to fight against it the more strength was invested by the black-haired man to keep her down. Meanwhile, the noises of the confrontation caught also the attention of some other individuals of the town.

The vendor of the shop looked out of his building, but he needed to force himself to look away from this situation.

More and more people learned from this incident, but nobody did anything to help the two girls.

The noises also caught the attention of Tracey and Ryan and the two immediately dashed out of the house after they realized that Zoey and May were in trouble.

When Tracey saw the kidnapped May, he didn't know how to react. The artist wasn't a fighter and he always tried to stay away from problems like this, but Ryan already walked towards the trio of templar to help his daughter.

"Dad!" Zoey exclaimed, seemingly being guilty.

"I'm very sorry for my daughter!" Ryan still acted very carefully. "If my daughter caused you any problems, I'll pay money for it!"

Gregory, Edmund and their third member looked to the inhabitant of the town and they were slightly surprised to see that the father of the girl came out of his house. Normally, you could solve all your problems with money.

"You don't understand!" Gregory answered sarcastically. "Your daughter doesn't make us problems and we just offered her a job as dancer for our barracks, just like your niece."

Ryan and Tracey were both puzzled, because Zoey and May weren't related in some way, however, that wasn't important right now.

"Please, don't take my daughter and my niece! I can give you a lot of money, jewelry and many other things instead!" Ryan pleaded them to over think their intentions, but he needed to be careful while dealing with those important individuals.

Zoey's kidnapper moved slowly to Ryan and it seemed that he would return Zoey to him.

It was a tense situation right now.

Ryan looked up when his daughter was in front of him, but suddenly, the black-haired man lifted a knee and rammed it into Ryan's stomach, forcing the man to the ground.

"DAD!" Zoey yelled desperately before she rammed her elbow into the stomach of her kidnapper, who loosened his grip on her for the moment. In an instance, the redhead kneeled next to her fallen father to see if he was alright.

May didn't have that much luck, because Gregory didn't give her the chance to free herself.

Coughing, Zoey's father wasn't the youngest anymore and it had to be an eternity since he was physically involved in a fight, but his daughter was too important to him. However, the black-haired man already stood in front of him before he kicked Ryan into his face, sending the man onto his back.

Zoey started to attack the brutal man, but she was again easily caught.

"You shouldn't start to make us angry!" Gregory warned sternly and his patience seemed to end, because he had been friendly enough. "Either your daughter and your niece accompany us or we'll burn your whole village down! Our king doesn't need a village full of rebellious inhabitants!"

Zoey hated to hear this, but she knew that they would do it.

Ryan panted heavily on the ground and he didn't know what to do.

Apparently, Zoey decided to stop with her attempts to free herself. Moreover, May felt even more terrible, because it was completely her fault that they were in this situation and she didn't want that Zoey would lose her home, just like her.

Both girls stopped to struggle.

"I knew that you would start to realize the benefits of our offer again!" Gregory said with a smirk.

"Are you sure that we could need the red haired girl?" Edmund said unsurely. "Our other members like women with longer hair."

"Her chest is large enough! Who cares about her hair?" Gregory responded, although it started to become absurd, but the girls still didn't show a sign to fight against their kidnapping right now. Apparently, Zoey and May would need to follow those men or risk the destruction of the whole village.

"Zoey … don't do that!" Ryan said between coughs.

"Don't worry, dad … I can care for myself and May …" Zoey responded and she seemed determined to help her village right now. Zoey quickly threw a look towards Tracey, but the artist looked completely caught off guard towards this scene.

Once again, Zoey was grabbed by the man before she was pulled towards the carriage.

Gregory caressed May along her neck, but the brunette couldn't let the men do what they want without giving them a warning.

"YOU CAN'T IMAGINE WHAT ASH WILL DO WITH YOU AS SOON AS HE FINDS YOU!"

May yelled through the whole village before she was put into the carriage. Zoey entered it as well and apparently, nobody could help them right now . In addition, the black-haired soldier took the reigns of 'Ash' and wrapped them around the back end of the carriage.

Several inhabitants looked with lowered heads to this scene, but everyone knew that it were difficult times, especially for parents.

Although 'Ash' whinnied heavily, he couldn't keep the carriage back and after everyone was within the vehicle, it started to move away. It was only afternoon, but the day couldn't become worse and the two girls needed to be silent for the sake of the village.

Leaving behind, Tracey and Ryan were desperate.

Tracey walked slowly to Ryan to see if he was injured, but at the moment, the man would take hundreds wounds in exchange for his daughter, but he wasn't the youngest anymore. It's difficult to describe the desperation of Zoey's father, but even Tracey needed to fear right now. It had been his duty to care for May and he didn't want to know what a certain assassin would think.

* * *

Ash didn't know what happened in his head, but apparently, his brain remembered all the events from last week and it started to look like a strange adventure to him. Like always during a dream, he couldn't influence what was happening.

However, it always ended with the same scenario and the assassin could hear the voice of his mother.

With a painful feeling within his forehead, Ash finally opened his eyes again.

As soon as he realized that he didn't know this place, he started to move, but he had to realize quickly that he couldn't get away from this location. Slowly but surely, he remembered what had happened and the assassin hated it.

Leaning against a rock, Ash was tied up and his yellow rodent still slept next to him.

Unfortunately, all his weapons were taken away from him and his hood was still pulled down, which revealed his face to everyone. When his vision became clearer, Ash noticed a lot of individuals that walked past him ad his rodent and according to the sun, it was still afternoon.

"What the …!" Ash murmured under his breath, because he learned that everyone around him was a woman, making it even worse that he was caught by them. "I can't believe that I was caught by a bunch of women!"

"Pika …." The rodent snored peacefully.

When Ash tried to loosen his ties, he didn't realize that a certain green-haired woman appeared in front of him. She had put her hands on her hips and looked down to her prisoner before she motioned to one of her followers to give her a knife.

Within a second the woman kneeled down and placed her knife next to Ash's throat before she made sure that the assassin was looking at her.

"I'm sure that you didn't expect a group of women, right?" The green hair said, smiling towards the stranger. "It's not usual for templar to walk alone through this part of the forest, that's why I believe that you aren't one of them."

Ash decided to stay silent, at least for now.

"It would be smarter from you to answer some of my questions, otherwise we are forced to let you disappear." The woman explained sternly. "Are you or aren't you a templar?"

"If I were one, what would you do?" Ash asked casually.

"We would do with you what we did with all of the other templar that crossed our path! At first we would torture you until we got every information out of you and then, you'll find yourself at the bottom of a sea again." The leader said.

"That's not very creative …" Ash replied, shaking his head.

Once again, Ash was at the receiving end of a slap.

"I don't think that you are in a position to give me an advice!" The woman exclaimed. "What are you doing in this part of the forest?"

"Collecting mushrooms!" Ash replied casually.

Another slap across the face.

"Slowly but surely, it would be a pleasure to let you disappear, you know! If you aren't serious, because we are women, you should start to befriend the thought that you will be killed by one!" The woman went with her knife along Ash's throat, but the assassin didn't show any sign of fear.

"It seems that you don't like templar very much." Ash said rhetorically.

"They are the scum of the society and we won't have a peaceful kingdom until everyone of them is dead!" The woman said harshly, pressing the knife against Ash's throat until the first blood started to drop to the ground.

Suddenly, a follower of the green-haired woman appeared and she seemed to be in a hurry.

"Erika, several templar approach our location, although they look as if they running away from something. There's no doubt that they are coming from the direction of the open cast mining!" The follower warned, revealing the leader's name to Ash.

"Those cowards …" Ash murmured under his breath, because he assumed that it had to be those templar that he didn't kill at the mining.

"Did you lead them to our hideout?" Erika asked sternly.

"Cut my ropes and I'll deal with them!" Ash said with a smirk.

"You even think that women are stupid, huh?" Erika said before she turned to her follower. "We'll watch them and if they come to close to our location, we'll eliminate one after another!"

The remaining women nodded before they left the place.

After all women took their positions, Ash continued his attempt to loosen his ropes and it couldn't harm to wake his rodent up, who still slept close to him.

"Come on, Pikachu! Wake up!" Ash whispered loudly, but his rodent turned onto his side once more.

Shortly thereafter, Ash heard different battle noises and he assumed that the women's plan backfired somehow. Moreover, the noises came closer and Ash wasn't in the best position to deal with more templar right now.

Several branches and twigs broke in the distance.

"I offered my help …" Ash said, still leaning against a rock.

Eventually, Ash could loose the rope around his legs and he could at least stand up right now. Nevertheless, it was important to find his weapons and other equipment again before he would leave this place.

Suddenly, Erika was pushed out of the woods onto the clearing. Apparently, she had been injured at her elbow.

Shortly thereafter, three large men stepped out of the woods as well and it was obvious that they belonged to the group of templar that Ash actually had eliminated. Despite Erika's claims that Ash shouldn't underestimate women, the women had a disadvantage right now.

"Fuck! Where is my equipment?" Ash still looked around, but one of the templar already spotted him.

Remembering the guy who destroyed the whole mining, the templar thought that it was his luckiest day. Not only did his group found the secret organization of the forest, but he also found the assassin who was responsible for their whole runaway. In addition, Ash's hands were still tied up behind his back, making him a less dangerous opponent than normal.

Two templar kept Erika busy, but the woman got help from some of her followers.

"That has to be my day!" The templar, who looked to Ash, said with a smirk. "Although you destroyed the majority of our group, I'll be celebrated as the hero, because I caught the assassin!"

Erika listened with one ear to that statement.

"Actually, you have more bad luck and you should have used your opportunity to get away from me!" Ash responded, keeping his cool. "If you and your stupid friends leave this place, I won't follow you, because I have more important things to do."

"You aren't that dangerous anymore without your weapons!" The templar said, swinging the sword within his hand. "I'm sure that it didn't matter whether I catch you dead or alive!"

"I don't think that you have a choice …" Ash replied.

When the templar hit towards Ash, the assassin dodged the attack before he jumped with one leg against a tree, creating momentum before he kicked the templar against his head. Once more, Ash needed to rely on his agility.

"You stupid bastard!" The templar became obviously angry.

Ash dodged several more sword cuts until he spotted a huge stone on the ground.

"I'll be the new right hand of the king after I brought him your head!" The templar said triumphantly.

Right in that moment, Ash jumped off the ground before he locked his legs around the templar's neck, sitting on his shoulders. Then, the assassin fell backwards and dove through the legs of the man, pulling him headfirst towards the ground. With that speed, Ash smashed the head of the templar onto the stone, knocking him out. Due to the large cut on the templar's head, it was likely that he would die during his unconsciousness.

Even without hands, Ash could still eliminate templar without much problems.

Some followers of Erika were injured, but they could hold their ground. Fortunately, the noises caused Pikachu to wake up and the electro-type was completely caught off guard when he realized that his master stood over a death templar.

"Did you sleep well?" Ash asked with a smirk.

Just like his master, the Pokemon was tied up, but he couldn't move at all.

"Pikachu, could you bite through the ropes around my hands?" Ash asked and he sat down, so that the rodent could start to 'eat' through the rope. Quickly, the electro-type freed his master and Ash dropped the rope to the ground before he freed his Pokemon partner as well.

After he put his hood back on, Ash found his equipment again. Of course, Pikachu was slightly confused what was going on, but actually it wasn't their problem.

Ash looked over his shoulder that Erika and her followers still fought with two templar, making it obvious that these women weren't the best fighter. Although it wasn't his mission, Ash couldn't deny that Erika fought against his opponents as well.

"Heck!" Ash exclaimed.

Walking slowly towards Erika, Ash was highly concentrated before he extended his hidden blade. Within a few seconds, Ash stabbed his hidden blade into the stomachs of the remaining two guards, doing that what Erika and three other women couldn't do together.

Erika's followers immediately stepped in front of her leader to protect her despite Ash's recent actions.

Ash smirked towards this weird group of women that tried to fight against templar.

After Pikachu jumped onto the assassin's shoulder, Ash turned around, ready to leave.

However, a panting Erika had some questions and slowly but surely, she realized that her former prisoner wasn't just a nobody.

"WAIT!" Erika exclaimed loudly, stopping the assassin right on his way. "Is it true that you destroyed the whole templar group at that open-cast mining?"

"Apparently, it doesn't matter if you know it or not …" Ash replied. "There is an open-cast mining not too far away from here and I eliminated the overseer Bryce and freed all the workers, however, it's better for your well-being if you don't know about my motives."

"You're an assassin." Erika said, putting her weapon away. "I've never met one before, but I need to thank you."

"I don't need your gratitude, but you shouldn't interfere in templar's business anymore." Ash gave an advice.

"You still think that women can't fight, right?" Erika replied while a follower of her already cared for her wound on her elbow. "I'm sure that we could find a way to help each other!"

Ash needed to be careful how many individuals he involved in his plans, but at the moment, he could really need some help. After he thought for a few seconds, Ash turned around, but he still looked slightly away.

"There's a village in this location that I need to find right now." Ash said casually.

Erika smiled weakly.

"There's only one village in this location and I could lead you to it." Erika said.

"It's enough if you just tell me the direction!" Ash preferred to work alone.

"I insist that I lead you to it!" Erika demanded before she stepped towards the man, who turned from a prisoner into an ally within minutes. However, not everyone was very fond of this and Erika's followers were concerned.

"Milady, we shouldn't - - -" Another woman said.

"It doesn't matter, Sara!" Erika said with a demanding voice. "Even if he isn't on our side; the enemy of my enemy is my friend! The village isn't far away from here! I'll that you remove the dead templar from here and care for the injuries of our fellow members!"

Sara nodded hesitantly.

Ash didn't have a good feeling, but it didn't seem as if this woman would betray him right now. Without a guide, it could take hours until he would find Tracey and May.

"This way!" Erika pointed to the north before she pushed Ash gently into that direction.

Several members of Erika's organization were unsure, but they shouldn't question Erika's decision and that assassin already eliminated those templar. It was incredible how fast the relationship between Ash and Erika turned around. However, there were two creatures that again looked on how the assassin walked away, but their silhouettes disappeared as soon as they appeared at first.

* * *

After another short school day, Dawn left the building before she met Eevee in front of it. The fox played the whole time within a small garden in front of the school building until the blue haired girl was finished with her duty.

"I'm sorry, Eevee, but May was nowhere to be seen …" Dawn sighed.

The small fox looked disappointed to the ground, but Dawn had promised that they would go to Ash's hideout if May wasn't at school. In addition, that would mean that the small normal-type would be able to see Pikachu as well, making it only half as bad that the brunette wasn't here.

"Well; let's go to Lucario, Ash and the others then. Actually, it shouldn't have been that difficult for May to visit us, but I assume that she only has eyes for him right now … *sigh* .."The blue-haired schoolgirl started to walk towards the direction of the abandoned district.

Walking along the alleys, Dawn tried to figure out how May's future would look like.

"Do you think that she'll marry him?" Dawn asked no one in particular, but Eevee heard it nevertheless.

Eevee didn't know much about weddings, but if it meant that she could spent more time with Pikachu then she would be all for it. However, there were still several unanswered questions and as long as May's stepfather would 'have' to care for her, it wouldn't be easy for May build her own life.

Eventually, Dawn entered the old district of the town and she wasn't afraid at all to walk through it.

When she walked across the large plaza of Ash's hideout, she noticed that it was almost too quiet and Eevee already dashed towards the door of the building. After she reached it, the small fox scratched on the door in hope that someone would open it, but it never happened.

"Perhaps they are somewhere upstairs …" Dawn assumed before she knocked on the door.

However, nobody answered her knocking and several minutes passed without any sign that someone would welcome them. Moreover, the door was locked up, giving Dawn no possibility to look through the house on her own.

"What could they probably do to let us stay in front of the door?" Dawn said, crossing her arms.

Suddenly, she heard how something moved on the roof and the blunette walked some steps to the back to see that Ash's Pidgeot had taken a nap. At least, the bird was still here and he would probably be friendly enough to give her an explanation.

Looking down from the roof, the giant bird greeted the girl with its wing.

"Pidgeot, do you know where May and the others are?" Dawn asked sweetly.

The bird didn't know if it wasn't allowed to 'speak' about Ash's destination, that's why he shrugged.

However, Dawn had a feeling that someone watched her from somewhere.

* * *

The day reached late afternoon, but the weather was still great and it would be sunny for the next couple of hours. Unfortunately, the weather didn't represent the mood of some individuals, not at all and it had been quite quiet in Tracey's village.

Ryan sat on the steps in front of his house, sitting in front of a pool of blood that he had spat out during the last minutes. Supporting his head with his hands, the man didn't know what to now.

Tracey sat next to him and the artist knew that he had been a coward, but it had never been his strength to be the brave one.

"I'm sorry, Ryan. I should have watched more over my assistant …" Tracey said reluctantly.

"It doesn't help us at all to blame each other, Da Vinci …" Ryan answered. "It are terrible times for everyone, but I thought that I would at least be able to protect my daughter from them. She's too kind to be involved in all of this …"

" … " Tracey didn't know what to say.

"I promised my wife before she died that I would care for our daughter. If there was a possibility to rescue her, I would even deal with the devil himself." Ryan explained before he spat some more blood onto the ground. The longer he sat there the more he became desperate.

Tracey sighed once more.

Suddenly, someone stepped in front of them and that individual wore the same boots as a certain person that Tracey promised to care or May. He needed to come eventually, but the artist didn't know how he should explain it to him.

Tracey lifted his head to spot Ash in front of them.

Although his clothes were slightly torn and several bruises decorated his skin, Ash looked as fit as ever.

Ryan didn't feel as if he could welcome a new guest to their village right now, but he didn't know that this guests wasn't here to eat at their pub or something like that.

Ash looked around and he wondered what Tracey was doing out here. Shouldn't he draw a picture of someone?

"Where's May?"

**End of chapter!**

* * *

**That's another chapter of this adventure story. It could be that you need to read it twice, because it has a slightly increased pace to the previous chapters. Like always, unexpected events change the course of the story and more and more people appear. **

**I still doesn't use everything that I would be allowed to do with a M-rating, but it's never easy to switch between ratings and stories, right? Some events could seem to be rushed, but actually, it's the same speed that I used during the first ten chapters. **

**Some facts for understanding: **

**- Edmund, Gregory and their bodyguard (which Ash had eavesdropped on earlier) arrived in the small village of Ryan**

**- May and Zoey try to hide Tracey's Rapidashs within the forest**

**- However, they are caught by Edmund and followers; after several attempts to get away, Zoey and May need to accompany the templar or risk that the whole village is burnt down**

**- Ryan is more than desperate**

**- Ash was on his way to Tracey before he stepped into a trap of a group of female fighters for freedom, leaded by Erika**

**- Eventually, Ash could win the trust of Erika after he eliminated some templar that found their hideout; nevertheless, there are still many questions that need to be answered, especially about Erika and her motives**

**- Dawn went to Ash's hideout in Petalburg to visit May, but unfortunately, the brunette isn't there; however, someone in the shadows seems to wonder what this girl is doing within that part of the city**

**- Ash finally arrived at the city of Tracey**

**How will Ash react when he learns that Tracey "lost" May?**

**Please don't flame! (Advanceshipping and minor Ikarishipping)**

**Don't review!**


	24. Chapter 24

**Another week, another chapter! Apparently, Ash won't be able to go back to Petalburg very soon, but could May's kidnapping lead to something bigger? However, it won't be that easy to get her back, especially when May and Zoey actually reach the barrack of Gregory and the others. **

**Explanation: **Erika has very dark green hair within this story, although it's difficult to see a common hair color for her. (Have seen everything from black, brown and dark blue for her so far, but dark green matches better with her grass-type persona)

**Story Rated-M for: **Blood, murder, death, assassination, weapons, bloody injuries, swearing, torture, bad language, executions and minor sexual content

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon**

**R&R!**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Ash's question wasn't answered immediately and the assassin closed his eyes to use his eagle eye-aura ability to learn where the girl could be. Unfortunately, Ash could only come as far as the border of the village, but that wasn't enough to locate the brown-haired girl.

"Where's she, Tracey?" Ash asked once again. "Actually, I thought that you would have been finished by now, so that we can start our way back!"

Again, Tracey didn't find the right words, but Ryan, Zoey's father, noticed that this stranger was a friend of the artist and that he was looking for the brunette, who was kidnapped as well as his daughter.

"She's not here anymore …" Ryan explained, covering his face with his hands. "It's just not fair …"

The assassin looked to the side for a short moment, looking through his thoughts. It didn't matter what happened, but it would doubtless delay his way back to Petalburg, Lucario and Pidgeot. Actually, it wasn't part of his quest to bring May back to her hometown, but something within Ash's mind made him angry, disappointed and … worried.

Suddenly, Ash grabbed Tracey by his collar, lifting him off the ground to stare into his eyes.

"Was it that difficult to watch over her for a single day? Where's she now? Is she somewhere within the forest and doesn't find the way back?" Ash asked sternly.

Unfortunately, Tracey's air was cut when Ash squeezed his collar to hard.

"You choke me … I can't breath!" Tracey said desperately.

"I don't know who you are, but you shouldn't choke your friend!" Ryan explained, although he wasn't very motivated at all. "Your friend, May, and my daughter are with three high-ranked leaders of a barrack of this location now …"

The assassin dropped the artist to the ground, who started to cough.

"Who are they?" Ash said with a demanding tone.

"It won't help you much to know their names, but they are Gregory, Edmund and an anonymous person that hasn't been there for long. It wasn't unusual that they visited our town to rest at our pub, but as of late they have started to confiscate more and more. At first, it were just Rapidashs, now …" Ryan's voice cracked slightly. "Now they even took girls to use them as dancers and amusement for their soldiers at their barracks…"

When Ash heard those names, he didn't know how to react.

"I told May and my daughter that they shouldn't leave my house, but for some reason … I guess, they wanted to hide Tracey's Rapidashs … whatever, they were kidnapped and I couldn't do anything!" Ryan became slightly angry with himself. "How much I hate this! Zoey willingly accompanied them after they threatened to burn the whole village and we all know that they would have done that."

Ash started to walk back and forth and the assassin stopped in front of a window before he punched through it. After the events, it didn't matter that a window was broken, but Ash started to kick several objects away, including flowerpots, garden tools and many more.

Obviously, the assassin was angry.

_It can't be … are that the same three guys that I saw at the mining … if I had known that they would come to THIS village, I would have stopped them … Damn it! I left her with Tracey to pretend something like that … this stupid girl! She always gets herself into trouble …_

Ash moved with his hand under his hood and through his hair before he let out a loud sigh.

Pikachu had been quiet the whole time, but the rodent could feel the emotions of his master, although most other individuals wouldn't notice them at all. However, the yellow mouse knew what was the right thing to do, but it was up to his master to decide it.

Tracey didn't know much about the relationship between May and Ash, but it could influence the next events.

Ash extended and hid his hidden blade multiple times, using it as a method to handle the situation better. Nevertheless, there was something that forced Ash to decide for one option. Of course, he could just return to Petalburg to continue his mission to eliminate Giovanni, but since the night he found May …

"Where are they now?" Ash asked without showing many emotions.

Ryan lifted his head, because he didn't know why this stranger wanted to know that. It was unlikely that he wanted to follow them, because it would only make Gregory and his followers angrier.

"We won't be able to catch up with them before …" Ryan didn't want to think about his daughter's future. "It's a crappy world …"

"Where can I find them?" Ash didn't care about Ryan's doubts.

"Ryan, you should tell him where they are." Tracey said and he assumed what Ash wanted to do, but the artist knew that the two girls didn't deserve such a fate. "You said yourself that you would deal with the devil himself and A- … my friend here is almost one, no offence!"

Ash stared at the artist, but at least, he didn't reveal too much of Ash's identity.

Zoey's father wasn't sure, but he said that he would do everything to help his daughter. Of course, it could backfire and cost the existence of the whole town, but this stranger seemed determined to find Gregory and Co, that's why it couldn't harm to help him.

"Who are you?" Ryan asked Ash.

"It would be better for you if you don't know it!" Ash clarified.

"If you really intend to follow them, you should know some facts first." Ryan responded. "They are on their way to the barrack of this location that consists of a stronghold, multiple houses for the soldiers and a small village. I haven't been there, but according to travelers, it contains almost hundred soldiers."

That were a lot.

Nevertheless, Ash didn't seem very concerned, because it wasn't his specialty to kill hundreds of soldiers, but certain individuals among a huge group.

"Where is this barrack?" Ash asked.

Ryan wanted to answer, but there was another individual that had listened to that conversation.

"It's 30 miles northeastern." Someone said and everybody turned towards this individual, who turned out to be Erika. After she led Ash to the village, she seemed to have eavesdropped on the three males, but she couldn't only listen anymore.

"Erika?!" Ryan said surprised. "I haven't seen you since your brother's - - -"

"Please, don't talk about it, John!" Erika replied with a sigh, but she also smiled weakly shortly thereafter. "It's good to see that you're alright, but it made me sad to hear about your daughter though …"

Ash didn't listen, but he looked to the direction where this barrack was supposed to be.

Tracey didn't know this green-haired woman at all.

" … " Ryan hated it to think about it. "Times have become worse and worse with the day and it could be that it will become even worse. The more I think about it the more I want that we make times better again, especially for our children."

Erika nodded.

"Tracey, where are your Rapidashs?" Ash asked casually.

"Unfortunately, those three guys took one of them with them and I don't know where the other one is …" Tracey replied with a disappointed voice, but suddenly he heard a bray from the woods before 'May' galloped towards them. Strangely enough, the horse stopped next to Ash.

"Apparently, 'she' wants to help you to rescue her and your friend. It's just too natural that my two Rapidashs stick together." Tracey explained thoughtfully.

Of course, Ash wouldn't mind a horse right now, but when Ash wanted to climb onto the horse's back, she stepped to the back, refusing to give Ash a ride. Moreover, 'May' stared at the assassin, who was visibly confused.

"Isn't it obvious?" Tracey stated. "You'll need to promise her that you rescue my second Rapidash as well."

Although it would become more difficult that way, Ash understood that he wouldn't get the horse's help for nothing. It wouldn't be the first time that Ash would infiltrate a barrack, but this time he wouldn't have the help of other assassins and Lucario.

"Deal!" Ash said before he swung quickly onto the horse's back.

"WAIT!" Erika stepped into his way and apparently, she wouldn't let Ash do this on his own. "You shouldn't start out without a plan! If you really intend to go that barrack, you should be aware that it could influence the whole area around it, that's why it's our business as well!"

"Sorry, but I prefer to work alone or with competent partners!" Ash responded with a smirk, knowing that Erika was brave and had much willpower, but she wasn't the best fighter.

"Don't come me with your sexism!" Erika replied sternly. "You'll need me whether you want to admit or not! Without me, you wouldn't even have found this village!"

The raven-haired assassin didn't like to admit it, but without much information about the location of the barrack, it would be almost impossible to infiltrate it without causing much attention. However, to team up with Erika could be quite stressful.

" … " Ash fought with his thoughts.

"Unfortunately, I wouldn't be much of a help." Ryan revealed, admitting that his best days are behind him. "However, I'll help you as much as I can. If you need weapons, I can give you some from my time in the royal army."

"Hmm … I lost my bow …" Ash murmured before he jumped to the ground again, delaying his start to the barrack. Unlike his master, Pikachu was more enthusiastic and the rodent welcomed the additional help, but he also had a small talk with 'May'.

Ryan leaded Erika, Tracey and Ash to his house again, where they would prepare for their upcoming quest.

* * *

Moving through the forest over the street, a carriage approached its destination. Being pulled by two Rapidashs, it also pulled a third Rapidash with it, making it clear that this carriage belonged to Gregory and Co.

Of course, 'Ash' couldn't hold the carriage back.

Within the carriage, May and Zoey sat silently next to each other and the two girls would stay as close to each other as possible to protect each other if needed. Of course, they avoided eye contact with Gregory and Edmund, who sat on the other side.

The unknown, black-haired soldier had the reigns in his hands, leading the carriage towards the barrack.

May didn't like it at all how Gregory looked at her and she leaned towards Zoey to whisper something into her ear.

"I'm sorry …" May whispered quietly, but she knew that it was mainly her fault, because she couldn't keep 'Ash' away from those people.

"You don't have to be - - -" Zoey wanted to answer.

"What's so important, girls?" Gregory asked obnoxiously. "From now on, you don't need to have secrets from us anymore. Obviously, you'll have a great career as dancers for our soldiers and maybe even more."

Zoey gave him a glare.

"Gregory, did you got that message from our king?" Edmund said unexpectedly, seemingly remembering it only now due to his age. "It could be that we'll have a lot of work to do in the next few weeks and months."

"I know, but we can talk about it tomorrow. At the moment, I would love to know more about our new coworkers, right ladies?" Gregory said. With every passing minute, it became harder and harder for May to sit on her seat.

Zoey just ignored this stupid idiot, not showing any weaknesses.

"You don't have to be that shy." Gregory explained with a fake smile before he moved with his hand along May's long skirt over her thigh. Of course, the brunette pushed his hand away and she gave him another one of her glares.

Suddenly, Gregory gave May a slap across her face, but Zoey immediately pushed this guy back into his seat before she hugged May tightly, who had started to sob silently. Of course, there was a time when it was enough.

Gregory glared at Edmund, who had started to chuckle slightly at his partner's bad luck with those ladies. In Gregory's opinion, those two girls were too self-willed, but it would surely change after some weeks within their barrack.

"It's time that you girls grow up!" Gregory said sternly.

May buried her face into Zoey's blouse, but at least, she still had some hope.

_He'll come and get us out of that … I'm sure he will … _

Slowly but surely, their carriage would need to arrive at its destination, but actually, Zoey and May wouldn't mind if something would delay their trip. Still ogling at the girls, Gregory folded his hands and enjoyed the desperation of his 'guests'.

* * *

Ash stood with crossed arms in the corner of the room.

Erika, Ryan and Tracey stood around a table, looking onto a huge map of this location. Sitting at the edge of the table, Pikachu looked as well onto it, because it looked as if it could be more difficult than expected to enter the barrack.

"Like Erika said, the barrack is thirty miles away from here and it should take some hours to reach it." Ryan explained, but Ash raised an eyebrow, because it seemed to be too long for a ride with horses.

"Fortunately, there's a small village in front of the stronghold. Perfect to regroup there after we arrived." Erika stated.

Again, Ash raised an eyebrow.

"Can you just enter the stronghold?" Tracey asked.

"The gate is open during the day, but they close it during the night, that's why we need to find another way into it. By all means, we won't be able to reach the barrack before sunset." Erika explained like a leader.

"Why doesn't we wait until tomorrow then?" Tracey asked.

"Firstly, I don't want that this May girl and Zoey need to spend even a single night in that barrack and secondly, we can use the darkness for our advantage!" Erika explained, spotting a determined gaze within her eyes.

Ash smiled before he remembered something. _We work in the shadows to serve the light …_

"How do you plan to find my daughter and May?" Ryan asked with a hopeful voice, because he would love nothing more than that their plan would work.

"Let this be my problem!" Ash bugged in, but slowly but surely, he became impatient.

Erika nodded, although she preferred that they would have a plan before they would start their ride. Of course, Erika knew now that Ash was an assassin, therefore it was Ash, who had the most experience of everyone.

The assassin left the corner, with his arms still crossed.

"Ryan, didn't you say that you have weapons?" Ash asked sternly.

"Uh … of course!" Ryan answered, although Ash's mysterious personality made him slightly unsure.

Tracey, Pikachu and Erika stayed at the map, studying it for eventual problems. Meanwhile, Ryan leaded Ash into the living room where Zoey's father opened some kind of huge treasure box with a padlock.

Looking through his old stuff, the man remembered the past when he was part of the royal army of King Lance. Among several badges and medals, he found his old bow that he had used during his training session within his barrack.

Handing it to the assassin, Ryan wanted to see if it was suitable for the hooded man.

Honestly, this bow looked great, because it seemed to be hard, yet elastic wood. Moreover, the bowstring was very thin, yet tearproof, making it the best bow that Ash had ever had within his hands.

"It's a masterpiece of craftsmanship and the shot arrows don't make any noises when they fly through the air. Unfortunately, my eyes aren't the best anymore, that's why I'm sure that you'll have better use for it than I do." Ryan explained proudly.

When Ash still looked at it, Ryan was looking through his stuff again until he found something else.

At first, Ash wasn't very intimidated when Ryan showed him two gloves. Ash shrugged.

"I know what you think, but this aren't just any gloves. During my time as soldier, those gloves helped me to protect my hands from several things. Look!" Ryan pointed to the fingertips of the gloves. "On the fingertips and the top of the gloves is steel sewn into the leather, which makes them perfect for sword fighting. It decreases the possibility to cut into your hand."

Ash actually liked this idea. Besides sword fighting, it could also help him when he would need to climb house walls.

Accepting those things, Ash didn't regret his decision to stay here for a while, but it became time to leave for the barrack now. However, Zoey's father wouldn't let Ash away, without giving him one more object.

Walking to the chimney, Ryan took something from the wall. It was a sword that seemed to be very precious for the man, but if it was going to help to rescue his daughter, he would willingly hand it to the stranger, aka Ash.

"King Lance personally gave me this sword, that's why it's very important to me. However, it hang above the chimney for too long and it would be a waste to keep it away from the fight for freedom, right?" John Ryan explained emotionally.

Once more, Ash wasn't a man of many words.

Taking the sword, the assassin noticed that it was longer than his old sword, but it wasn't large enough to be a great sword.

"I appreciate your gifts, Ryan." Ash said truthfully when he put the sword on the side of his belt.

"To be honest, there aren't many options." Ryan stated, looking to a picture of a young family. "You'll go to this barrack anyway and I wish you all luck of the world. However, if you aren't successful and I wouldn't be mad at you, then I'm sure that our village won't be anymore, so why keep my weapons on the wall or within the box?"

Ash gave a quick nod.

Now, Ash was finally ready. Eventually, Ash and Ryan returned to Tracey and the others, who still discussed the map. Apparently, Erika and Tracey agreed on something, but that wasn't Ash's problem, at least he fought so.

"We need to go!" Ash stated to Erika.

Erika rolled the map together before she put everything she needed into a small bag that she placed on the side of her hip. However, Tracey put something into his bag as well, although he shouldn't even come with to this barrack.

"Tracey, you should stay here with Ryan!" Ash demanded.

"I'm sorry, but I'll come with you!" Tracey stated convincingly. "They have one of my Rapidashs and I can't just stay here after I was such a coward during Zoey and May's kidnapping! I admit that I'm a miserable fighter, but Erika and I are sure that we'll need a good strategy!"

"Okay, I'll tell my mates that we are ready to start!" Erika explained.

"Wait a second!" Ash exclaimed, totally missing the mark. "You don't intend to take your group of women with you, do you? We would be far too slow with such a large group and it would destroy our discretion!"

"You don't have another chance, sweetheart!" Erika mocked the assassin. "We already decided to start our mission with sunset and we still have five hours until it, which means that we have more than enough time to walk those 30 miles."

After that, Erika walked past Ash before she left Ryan's house to catch up with her group.

More and more, Ash ignored his creed with his latest decisions, but he just wanted to bring May back to her hometown and after that, he would be able to concentrate on his actual mission again. Now, Ash just lifted his hand for a quick goodbye to Ryan.

The older man gave him a nod. "I'll be grateful forever if you bring my daughter back!"

Tracey quickly followed Ash to the door, but the assassin turned once more around to Ryan.

"When we are on our way, you should tell your village that they should prepare for the worst case, which means survival of the fittest!" Ash explained before he and Tracey left the house as well, entering the main street of the small village.

'May' already waited eagerly.

"We had been in such a hurry that I didn't have a chance to ask who this Erika is." Tracey explained, scratching his back of his head. "Ryan seems to know her for quite some time, but that's already everything."

"We are just a temporary team with the same purpose, Da Vinci!" Ash explained before he jumped onto the back of the horse, with Pikachu on his shoulder of course. "I'm still mad at you for being not able to watch over May, but it happened now. No need to be unforgiving."

The artist looked disappointed to the ground.

"Tell Erika that I wait in front of the village!" Ash said unexpectedly before he hit the reigns to show his Rapidash that it was time to leave the village. Within a few seconds, Ash was out of eyeshot, leaving the artist on its own.

"What's with me? Am I supposed to go by foot, although he has my Rapidash?" Tracey murmured.

* * *

Dawn still stood in front of Ash's hideout, but Pidgeot already 'told' her that neither May or Ash are here yet. Not very surprising that Eevee was very disappointed, because her owner had been away from her for over two days already.

Nevertheless, the blue-haired girl still had this feeling that someone watched her.

"Well … could you tell them that we have been here and that Eevee misses May a lot?" Dawn asked for a favor and the large bird of the assassin couldn't deny her that wish. According to Lucario, Ash should come back this evening and May probably as well.

The bird saluted her before the blue-haired girl took Eevee once gain in her arms.

"We'll try it tomorrow again, okay?" Dawn whispered to the small fox, which wasn't all too happy.

Waving with his wing, Pidgeot said his goodbye before the blue-haired coordinator walked across the plaza. Soon thereafter, Dawn entered the alleys of the abandoned district before she was out of eyeshot for the large bird of the assassin.

All in all, it had been a very quiet day for Pidgeot.

Looking across the plaza, the bird inspected the surroundings with its sharp eyes.

Suddenly, Pidgeot spotted something within a dark alley and it wasn't someone that he knew. Glaring towards this individual, Pidgeot posed on top of the roof to clarify that this person should go away as quick as possible. Fortunately, the dark person left the end of the alley and Pidgeot assumed that he would need to be more observant from now on.

Being alone within the alley, this individual adjusted her dark sunglasses.

"Apparently, Giovanni's stepdaughter isn't dead after the fire … hmm .." The person said to herself, but she immediately clenched her fist as well. "I'm sure that this stupid guy saved her and now, he hides her from her stepfather. Well, I'll get my revenge on this assassin, but perhaps I can get the reward from Giovanni for May's dead as well."

The person with grey hair and a fondness of shadows, started to walk through the alley.

"Seemingly, neither this girl nor this assassin are at this dirty place, however …" The woman grew a smile on her otherwise emotionless face. " … this blue-haired girl seems to be a friend of them. Surely, nobody will miss a girl that disappeared within this district!"

Apparently, she wanted to 'ask' Dawn some questions and the woman immediately dashed through the alleys as long as the blue-haired girl was near.

Suddenly, someone jumped from a wall to block her way. Immediately, the grey-haired woman stopped and looked at the hooded man, who wasn't a stranger to her. Nevertheless, it wasn't the best time to meet him again.

"I can't remember that you walked through these alleys when my guild was still at its best, Hunter J." Paul stated, crossing his arms in front of the woman. As of late, the dark assassin inspected the surroundings of his guild again, so it was a real surprise to see J again.

"I would love to celebrate our meeting, assassin, but actually, nobody would pay me money for the dead of an assassin without a guild." J answered and she intended to walk past the dark figure, but Paul blocked her way once again.

"I'm interested what you're doing in this part of the town." Paul said.

"Unlike you, I'm still active as a hunter!" J stated before she tried to push Paul to the side, but the man was much stronger than her. "I have things to do, but I'm sure that I could execute a quick bonus kill additionally."

"I was inactive, not dead!" Paul responded sternly.

"Was?" J asked suspicious, but she immediately assumed something. "Don't tell me that you think that you could change one thing with the help of this foreign assassin!"

"Oh, you already met him?" Paul said with a smirk. "Like I see it, he's still alive, which means that he survived your meeting. It seems that your age finally caught up with you, huh?"

"Don't push it too far!" J threatened. Actually, she was only in her early thirties, but both assassins of the town were visible younger than her.

Once again, Paul smirked.

Out of nowhere, Hunter J threw a knife towards the assassin, but Paul easily stepped to the side and watched when the knife pierced a wooden door behind him. Unfortunately, as soon as he turned back, he had to realize that J disappeared within the shadows again.

"Are you that afraid?" Paul shouted into the air, but of course, J didn't answer and the dark assassin disappeared in the shadows as well.

Not far away, hunter J was everything, but happy. Leaning against a wall, the woman thought about her possibilities to make money, especially money that she could get from templar.

"This blue-haired girl had left the district for sure. Couldn't expect that this assassin steps into my way, right?" J talked to herself, but at least, she got some information about the last two remaining assassins of the town, plus information about May.

""Let's see how much money those information are worth." J said before she walked away.

* * *

Once again, a servant of the king entered the throne hall where the king seemed to be in deep thoughts about something. Actually, several things should already have happened, but everything had been delayed since that assassin appeared in his kingdom.

"My king!" The servant bowed down in front of Cyrus. "I received a message from the Sinnoh kingdom and it seems that Queen Cynthia wants to pay us a visit in a few days!"

Cyrus played with a glass of vine within his palm.

"Cynthia? I wonder what she wants, although I assume that she wants to talk with me about the arming of our kingdom. I never understood why a kingdom should have a woman as their ruler. They are just too weak and they don't understand one thing about war." Cyrus seemed to be bored.

"Should we send an answer?" The servant asked.

"Tell her that I'm busy and that a visit wouldn't do us any favors." Cyrus answered casually, looking at his reflection within his glass.

The servant nodded, although he assumed that his king was lying. As of late, Cyrus hadn't done much and he just waited for something, but only his closest followers knew something about it. After he bowed down for his king once again, the servant left the hall to deliver the message to someone who would send a Pidgey to the Sinnoh Kingdom.

Almost alone, Cyrus thought about other things.

_It doesn't do me any favors that this Cynthia and her kingdom become suspicious … I shouldn't forget to attack Sinnoh first before I concentrate on Kanto again … I still have this weapon within a warehouse, although it would be better to have it within the palace … Nevertheless, the stupid inhabitants of this town start to turn their backs on me … _

Apparently, Cyrus would need to clarify a lot of things before he would be able to execute his plans.

* * *

Outside of the village, Ash sat on the Rapidash's back and he once again, inspected his new equipment that he got from Ryan. Trying to be optimistic, the assassin told himself that Gregory, Edmund and that other guy were templar anyway, so it wasn't a bad decision to eliminate them in connection with May's rescue.

It was almost idyllic, but like on a clue, Erika, Tracey and the rest of their group entered the small clearing as well.

"I almost thought that you would have started without us!" Erika said sternly.

"It's not too late for me to work alone." Ash answered casually.

Many of Erika's followers still didn't like Ash very much, especially because of his attitude towards women who could defend themselves. Nevertheless, they would help Erika and Ryan to free Zoey and her friend from the barrack.

"I hope that you won't be too disappointed, because you won't have much to do." Ash clarified, knowing that nobody of them could do the things that he trained his entire life.

"You overestimate your skills, assassin. We'll have to do much more than just to find our friends, that's why you should appreciate our help. Not only do we need to assure the safety of the inhabitants of the village in front of the barrack, we'll also have to deal with the situation the next day." Erika explained, emphasizing that their actions would affect the complete location.

After that, Erika whistled loudly before several Pokemon appeared from the woods.

Ash was slightly surprised to see that Erika owned that many Pokemon and of course, the woman realized Ash's facial expression.

"Are you surprised? I was always a natural at befriending grass-type Pokemon of the forest, but I wouldn't force them to help, like some of our enemies. Moreover, I won't let them fight against soldiers, because I wouldn't forgive myself if one of them gets injured." Erika said before she kneeled down to an Oddish.

Ash quickly remembered a time when he played with Pokemon in the forest in front of Pallet town.

"Do we need to walk?" Tracey asked unsurely.

"Although we would manage to reach the barrack in time, we would be too exhausted after it. However, there are some Pokemon that can bring us to our destination." Erika said enthusiastically before a larger creature left the woods.

"Meganium and her family offered us to bring us to the village." Erika explained before she climbed onto the back of one of those Meganiums. Fortunately, she offered Tracey to use the same as well while her followers used the remaining Meganium family members for their ride.

Oddish sat exactly in front of Erika and the small grass-type would do everything to help her.

They had wasted enough time already, but suddenly, two more creatures left the woods.

"Are you serious?" Ash said, rolling his eyes.

Erika turned around to see another grass-type Pokemon, but it was weird that Torchic, a fire-type, stood right by its side. According to Ash's reaction, the assassin knew those Pokemon, although it seemed that he wasn't very happy that Torchic and Trecko appeared.

"Do you know them?" Erika asked.

"I freed them within the mining and I told them to go back home, but somehow, they follow me around." Ash explained.

"Apparently, they want to help you and to be honest, you shouldn't prevent them to help." Erika said.

"It's their decision, but I don't think that they can keep up with our speed." Ash said.

Unfortunately for him, Erika already invited those Pokemon to sit in front of her as well, right next to Oddish. During that moment, Ash sighed, but he just didn't want that those Pokemon would get into dangerous situations when they are with him. On the other hand, May wasn't even with him when she was kidnapped, that's why it could be that the safest location was next to Ash.

"Are we finally ready?" Ash asked after they wasted more time than expected.

Erika gave a quick nod.

Ash hit the reigns, so that his Rapidash started to walk slowly through the forest. Thinking that Erika and her followers wouldn't be that fast, Ash wanted to turn around to tell Erika something.

Suddenly, one Meganium passed Ash before the rest passed him as well. Tracey clanged around Erika's torso, because Meganium showed how fast a grass-type could be. Trecko, Torchic and Oddish cheered somewhat, but they just had fun.

Of course, Ash was too proud to ride behind them, so he motioned to his Rapidash to increase its speed.

Their way to the barrack didn't show how serious the situation actually was.

* * *

Zoey still watched over May and she knew that it could be that they needed to defend themselves. At the moment, they only accepted to accompany Gregory and Co to their barrack, but not that they would do everything for them. It was just important that her town was safe.

Suddenly, it became brighter within the carriage.

Looking out of the window, Zoey realize that they had left the forest. Moments later, she spotted the first walls, which meant that they reached a village.

"Finally, we reached our destination." Gregory exclaimed. "My feet almost slept in during our ride."

May started to become more restless, because they were one-step closer to be captured within that barrack. Deep in her heart, May knew that Ash would come, but she also knew that it could take some time for him to catch up with them.

Zoey noticed that many inhabitants of the village just stood there, looking to the ground when the carriage passed them.

It didn't take long for the carriage to move through the whole village, which seemed to be rather small.

For a short moment, the carriage stopped and May heard how two people stepped out of the way. Seemingly, two guards in front of the gate to the barrack assured themselves that they wouldn't grant strangers access to this important stronghold.

When the carriage entered the stronghold, shadows covered everything.

Once again, the Rapidashs stopped.

"It's time to see your new home." Gregory said with a fake smile. At first, Edmund left the carriage before Gregory motioned to Zoey to leave the vehicle willingly and the redhead looked into May's eyes to see if the brunette was okay.

May jumped out of the carriage and Zoey made sure that Gregory would leave his hands away from her.

Edmund and that black-haired soldier motioned to two guards to come to them.

During that time, May and Zoey looked around to see where they were. Huge and thick walls blocked the sunlight, although you could see the sky, which was cloudless and bright at the moment. Two guards stood within a huge gate that would lead to the outside, but May and Zoey couldn't hope to leave walk through it any time soon.

Their carriage stood in the middle of a small square.

Typically, there wasn't a single plant within the stronghold and the whole ground was covered with pavement. Now and then, a ladder leaned against a house wall and on top of them stood archer that made sure that nobody could sneak through the alleys.

Several alleys leaded into different directions to buildings that looked all the same, with the exception of one, which seemed to be the main hall. However, May worried most about the guards, because she saw almost too many to count.

Zoey watched two guards, who seemingly talked about the two girls.

Scaffoldings reached almost the top of the large stronghold wall.

May walked to 'Ash', who was still tied to the back of the carriage and she felt sorry for that horse.

Suddenly, a guard took the reigns of 'Ash' before he pulled it away from May. Of course, May didn't want to let this happen, but Zoey held her back. At the moment, they couldn't even think about an escape from here.

Unfortunately for the guard, the Rapidash wasn't very willingly to follow him and the horse also used a small flamethrower on the guard to keep him away.

Right in that moment, two other guards appeared at the sides of 'Ash' before they threw two buckets of water over the horse's back. Being weak against water, Tracey's Rapidash couldn't do much when he was pulled to another place of the barrack.

May wanted to shout something, but again, Zoey prevented her to get herself into more trouble.

Eventually, Gregory finished his talk with a guard.

"I hope that you like what you see." Gregory said sarcastically. "You couldn't have come to a better time, because there will be a huge announcement this evening for our guards and of course, they want to be entertained."

Once again, Gregory implied that May and Zoey would need to work as dancers for them.

The red-haired girl crossed her arms and she showed that she wasn't intimidated by Gregory's pathetic attempts to made her unsure. Meanwhile, May and Zoey had become the talk of the stronghold and it wasn't that nice for the two girls to be ogled by so many men.

"I'll go to my quarters before I write the letter for King Cyrus." Edmund said before he left the small square. This left Gregory, the black haired soldier, two guards, Zoey and May next to the carriage.

"You two!" Gregory talked to the guards. "Escort our beautiful guests to their room!"

The sarcasm within that statement was ridiculous.

Immediately, two large guards stepped behind the two girls. After they pushed them more or less gently into the direction of an alley, the guards leaded the 'dancers' along the wall to a longer floor of stone.

As soon as they were away, Gregory walked to the gate of the barrack.

"Don't let anyone in anymore for today!" Gregory exclaimed and the two guards within the gate nodded before they closed the large wooden door. Although the sun was still above the horizon, it was decided that nobody should be able to enter the barrack.

After that, Gregory walked away.

Being pushed multiple times into a direction instead of being asked to walk it, May and Zoey soon found themselves in front o a wooden door. Without saying a single word the whole time, one guard opened the door before the second guard pushed the two girls into that room.

A clicking noise indicated that this door was now locked up.

After hours with Gregory, Edmund and the other man, the two girls were finally alone.

The room was large enough for two people and it contained two nice-looking beds, a cupboard, and much decoration like portraits, brown carpets, a chandelier, a small table and various other objects. Without a question, this room was better than May's old one, but the brunette would love her old one more right now.

Unfortunately, the only opening of the room consisted of a three feet high, three inches wide and five feet long window. It became smaller to the outside, which made it impossible for the girls to escape through it somehow.

Zoey put a comforting hand on May's shoulder.

"Don't lose all your hope!" Zoey said enthusiastically.

"If I give up my hope, I would also give up on Ash and that won't happen." May replied, although she was still slightly afraid.

"I'm sorry that I held you back when they threw water over your Rapidash, Ash." Zoey apologized for that moment.

"I don't mean my Rapidash." May clarified, knowing that the name similarity could confuse anyone.

Zoey tilted her head, because her brown-haired friend confused her slightly with her secrets. Before they were kidnapped, May already shouted that Ash would come for them, but Zoey didn't think much about it.

* * *

Ash leaded his group through the forest, although Erika needed to correct their route multiple times within that time. It was amazing that Meganiums could run that long, but Ash assumed that they already left half of the way behind him. It had taken them almost two hours, but they were good in their schedule.

Pikachu clang to Ash's shoulder.

Just when Ash was lost in his thoughts, he heard Erika's voice.

"We need to make a break! Stop!" Erika shouted, so that everyone could hear her.

Ash wasn't a big fan of a break, but he decided to look what was wrong. Within seconds, everyone had stopped and the assassin jumped down from his horse before he crossed his arms again. He couldn't see a reason why they would need a break now.

Trecko positioned himself next to Ash before he crossed his arms well.

"What's the matter? Do you girls need a convenience break or what?" Ash said with a mocking voice.

"Unfortunately for you, we don't stop because of a girl." Erika replied before she pointed to some bushes. Tracey held his hands in front of his mouth and he ran into the woods.

Apparently, a ride on a Meganium's back caused nausea for the artist.

"You're enjoying yourself that it's a man who causes this, right?" Ash said.

"I wouldn't say that, but it's a great opportunity to prove that women aren't that weak. Nevertheless, I can't imagine that your mother taught you such a behavior - -" Erika couldn't even finish her statement when the assassin just walked away from her.

Erika's followers were as confused as her.

"Did I say something wrong?"

**End of chapter!**

* * *

**Business is about to pick, at least in this story. Although the chapter consisted of many preparation scenes, I think that it prepared my readers as well for the upcoming chapters that will contain more action. It could be difficult to understand some things, because I mentioned things that haven't been mentioned for fifteen chapters. **

**It's always difficult for me to describe the surroundings. Of course, I'm able to describe it perfectly, but it would end up to be too long-winded, that's why you should use your own imagination for the barrack. **

**Some things for understanding: **

**- Ash learned about May's kidnapping**

**- Erika eavesdropped on Ash and decided to accompany the assassin onto his quest**

**- Gregory's barrack lies thirty miles northeastern from Ryan's village**

**- There's a small battle of the sexes between Ash and Erika**

**- May and Zoey were on their way towards the barrack**

**- Ash receives a new bow, a new sword and new gloves from Ryan**

**- Erika's followers, Tracey, Torchic, Trecko and several other grass-types joined Ash's group, although the assassin isn't a fan of that**

**- Dawn left disappointed Ash's hideout after she learned that nobody was there, with the exception of Pidgeot**

**- Hunter J eavesdropped on Dawn, but J wasn't able to follow the blue-haired girl when Paul stepped into her way**

**- King Cyrus received a message from Cynthia, Queen of Sinnoh, who wants to pay him a visit**

**- Ash's group is still on their way to the barrack**

**- May and Zoey reached the stronghold where they were immediately sent into a room (Room is locked up and watched by two guards)**

**- Thanks to Tracey, Ash's group needed to take a break**

**I'm not quite sure whether this chapter was rushed or slow. Actually, I believe that I included many important things and that I shortened the travel time of the participants seems to be okay. **

**Please don't flame! (Advanceshipping and minor Ikarishipping)**

**Don't leave a review!**


	25. Chapter 25

**No new Chapter!**

_In case, someone doesn't read the summary of the story! _

There won't be a new chapter of this story at all, so you shouldn't alert it. Although I leave the story on this website, there isn't much sense to continue it, especially after all that time.

That means that this story has an _open end _and it's up to your fantasy to imagine what would have happened later on, but that's actually a good thing.

I'll continue to write new stories with even better plots; would be nice to see some of your support there as well.

Thanks for reading.


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